Gazipur City Corporation election campaign is gaining momentum as mayoral and councillor candidates are passing hectic time to conduct their polling canvass.
The aspirants are now holding rallies and running public relations through door-to-door visits to voters.
Young voters might play a pivotal role in the GCC polls as they constitute nearly half the total number of voters.
Two major candidates vying for the mayoral post – 18-party alliance-backed Prof MA Mannan and 14-party alliance-backed Advocate Ajmat Ullah Khan – are trying to draw the youngsters’ favour towards them.
The youth seem to be conscious enough, discussing the two major mayoral candidates to decide which one to vote for.
Besides, people under the city corporation are also considering national and local issues – “Hefazat” and “Caretaker government system” and gas connection, loadsheding, waterlogging and sewerage system – before picking their favourite mayoral candidate to vote.
“We are afraid of what happens when it starts raining because if it rains cats and dogs for about 10 minutes the municipality roads go under knee-deep water. Sewerage water also gets mixed with rainwater and emits bad smell,” said Mr Osman who has settled in Tongi 20 years ago.
Another inhabitant in the area Nurullah said Gazipur is a fast-growing city. With the rising population, problems are also increasing and “we want someone to really have the nerve to address the city problems and ensure basic amenities for all”.
Meanwhile, the issue of withdrawal of AL rebel contestant Jahangir Alam’s candidacy is yet to be solved. The aspirant’s supporters and his family do not know about his whereabouts that has raised questions among all.
His supporters suspect Jahangir was picked up only to exert pressure on him to withdraw his candidature from the polls fray.
Sources said, on Tuesday afternoon after getting his symbol, Jahangir was campaigning in Tongi Station Road area along with his activists when some former Chhatra League leaders called him and picked him up in their car to hold a meeting at Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s office in the Jatiya Sangshad Bhaban area.
The premier’s press secretary Abul Kalam Azad told the media Jahangir withdrew his candidacy in the interest of the party and announced his support to Advocate Azmot Ullah Khan.
Since then, Jahangir has disappeared and his cellphone is also switched off.
Jahangir Alam, a former member of central Chhatra League and a vice-chairman of Gazipur Sadar upazila parishad, was contesting the election as a candidate of Sammilito Nagorik Committee as he failed to get the alliance’s support.
The district Awami League leaders requested him to withdraw his candidacy in favour of the party which he refused outright and continued his campaign in the area.
The 14-party alliance-backed Azmot Ullah Khan said, “We did not exert any pressure on him.
He is my younger brother and supported me after meeting with the party president.”
Asked about the whereabouts of Jahangir Alam, Khan said, “I do not know where he is now. I tried to contact him, but failed.”
However, since the deadline for the withdrawal of candidature is over, ballot will bear Jahangir’s name, the man who led a movement to get Gazipur the status of a city corporation.
Gazipur City Corporation is the second largest city corporation in the country with an area of 329.53 square Kilometres. As many as 1,026,964 voters – 499,181 male and 527,783 female – will be able to exercise their franchise to elect their city’s mayor as well as 57 councillors and 19 reserved (women) councillors.
