As the Chittagong city polls draw nearer, the candidates’ canvassing tactics are heating up with both heavyweight mayoral contenders choosing to play the blame game during their campaigning rounds throughout the port city.
Awami League-backed AJM Nasir Uddin and BNP-backed M Manjur Alam, along with other leaders of the two parties, are using their speeches to accuse each other with different charges.
During canvassing in the port city yesterday, AJM Nasir, also the general secretary of Awami League’s Chittagong city unit, blamed his rival Manjur for misappropriating funds in different projects during his tenure as the mayor.
“The Chittagong Port Authority allotted Tk117 crore to the Chittagong City Corporation during Manjur’s tenure for setting up a truck terminal; but no terminal was established in the last five years,” Nasir said.
Questioning how the Tk117 crore was spent, the ruling-party-backed candidate also raised concerns over the honesty of former mayor Manjur.
Also campaigning for Nasir, former forest minister Dr Hasan Mahmud said the port city would remain a problem-filled city if Manjur was re-elected as CCC mayor.
Meanwhile, during canvassing in the city’s Halishahar area yesterday, Manjur also raised counter-allegations of his own against his rival.
Hinting at Nasir, Manjur claimed that the men who had no political capital, wanted to gain popularity by reviling others.
During his last couple of days’ canvassing, the BNP-backed mayoral candidate also blamed the ruling party men of trying to take control over the election by scare tactics; he also blamed Awami League supporters of creating hindrance to his canvassing drives.
BNP Vice-Chairman Abdullah Al Noman, who accompanied Manjur in the canvassing, demanded army deployment during the election. He further accused the ruling party of using the administration to seize control of the election process.
Apart from the two heavyweight candidates, other mayoral and councillor candidates also continued their canvassing in full swing yesterday.
A total 12 mayoral candidate are contesting in the April 28 election as well as 278 candidates for general and reserved ward councillor seats. A total 1,813,449 voters in the city are expected to cast their ballots at 719 voting centres on the day.