The by-election to the Kishoreganj-4 constituency Wednesday is expected to be a strong contest between Awami League-nominated Rejwan Ahmed Towfiq and independent candidate, Syed Mahitul Islam Asim.
Opposition BNP did not nominate any candidate to contest the parliamentary seat, which fell vacant after former speaker Abdul Hamid became president in April. The constituency comprises the Austagram, Mithamoin and Itna upazilas, with 2,77,126 registered voters.
As campaigning ended at midnight Monday, some local voters said BNP and Jamaat supporters were likely to vote for Asim, a rebel AL activist who is now running as an independent candidate.
AL supporters, meanwhile, are behind Towfiq, President Hamid’s son, in the hope that he retains the seat his father won seven times for the AL.
Talking to one of our reporters at Chandrapur new bazaar Monday, Md Abul Kashem, a voter in Itna, said BNP supporters are likely to vote for Asim, the rebel candidate who is also the publicity secretary of the AL’s Austagram unit.
However, Ali Akbar, another voter of Itna, believed that BNP votes would never go to the AL, even for a rebel. He also said the election would be highly contested.
Md Ratan Mia, from Kistapur village in Itna, said “football” – Asim’s electoral symbol – was faring well at the beginning of the campaign. Ratan said it all changed after meetings were held to convince people that “it was a matter of prestige for the president’s son to win”.