Reserved councilor candidate Nadira Begum, who campaigned alongside her only son, has won in the Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) election.
In the election, which took place on Monday, Nadira bagged 12,506 votes to become the new councilor of RCC’s ward 8.
Nadira Begum’s entire life has been a struggle. She got married after her higher secondary exams, but had to assume the role of family breadwinner when her husband died a few years later.
She has braved poverty and competed in RCC’s three previous polls—during which she came close to winning but lost by a small margin.
While other aspirants, flanked by their supporters, campaigned for the polls, Nadira only had her son stand by her.
Her campaign fund was a mere Tk60,000. Tk40,000 of this, she earned by selling ducks, and the rest she borrowed from her sister.
This election, her son Shahriar Ahmed pedaled a van, while Nadira rode behind, using a loudspeaker to request people to vote for her.
Nadira was also spotted putting up her own campaign posters.
She said that despite a funding crunch, the love of the people got her elected, and that she would work for their welfare.