With only three days remaining, contesting candidates to the election
of Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) have geared up their campaign
tremendously with hope of getting maximum support from the
electorates.
All the contenders including the mayoral ones are seen moving door to
door from early morning to midnight. There are no places where the
candidates aren’t visiting.
The city is now agog with hectic activities of the candidates eyeing
for the coveted mayoral post and those of councilor including the
women reserved ones in the election scheduled to be held on June 15.
Although officially nonpartisan, the city corporation election has
ultimately gained political colour, as mainly political leaders from
major parties contest such polls, especially for the mayoral post,
observers said.
From their respective point of ideological and political views, many
political and professional leaders both of national and local are seen
seeking votes massively for both AHM Khairuzzaman Liton and Mosaddeque
Hossain Bulbul, two main mayoral candidates to the upcoming election.
The voters will exercise their right to franchise to elect one mayor,
30 ward councilors and 10 women councilors from the reserve seats.
Three candidates are contesting for the mayoral position. They are
Awami League-led grand alliance-sponsored candidate also immediate
past mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton (lock), BNP-led 18-party supported
Mosaddeque Hossain Bulbul (pineapple) and independent Habibur Rahman
(Chosma). Besides, 155 aspirants are contesting for 30 general
councilor posts and 66 women for 10 reserved seats of councilors.
There are 2,86,917 voters including 1,43,395 women to cast their votes
in 137 centres of the election. The mayoral candidates are campaigning
in full swing pledging to make a better and modern residential city
complete with all civic amenities.
Khairuzzaman Liton shows his personality by hugging young and caring
for the elderly. The first thing he says is that he is seeking
blessing from the people.
“I have served you as a mayor for the last five years without any
allegation against me. I have had successes as well as failures but I
have not opted for any dishonest activities,” Liton tells the voters.
“If I was reelected, I would complete the development projects I had
initiated as the mayor of RCC,” he repeated his electorates.
“Please promise to me that you will give me that chance of serving the
citizens,” Bulbul humbly tells the voters during his campaign.
Meanwhile, all necessary preparations have now on the final stage to
hold a free, fair and transparent election to RCC.
There will be 137 presiding officers, 871 assistant presiding
officers, 1742 polling officers to hold the polls in 137 polling
centres, Subhash Chandra Sarker, Returning Officer, has said.
(BSS, Rajshahi)
