Candidates of Chittagong City Corporation elections were busy conducting campaigns yesterday, with voting due on the day after tomorrow.
Awami League-backed candidate AJM Nasir Uddin and BNP-backed aspirant M Manjur Alam were among the mayoral and councillor hopefuls who campaigned in full swing in the port city. They were accompanied by volunteers and supporters who chanted slogans using loudspeakers to woo voters.
Nasir, also the general secretary of Awami League’s Chittagong city unit, conducted day-long campaigns in Oxygen, Kulgaon, Baluchhara and adjoining areas while Manjur did so in Dewan Bazar, Chandanpura, Chawkbazar and some nearby areas.
Accusations of violating the electoral code of conduct were levelled against the candidates but the CCC election returning officer, Md Abdul Baten, said those were trifling.
“The scale of the violations is rather usual in the context of Bangladesh but we, nonetheless, are observing the way campaigns are being conducted.
“We largely focus on attempts to use money illegally to buy votes during campaigns and maintain a very strict stance on this,” he added.
There are 12 mayoral aspirant and 278 councillor candidates in the CCC elections while a total of 1,813,449 voters are expected to cast their votes at 719 polling centres in the port city.
The returning officer, meanwhile, said ballots and other electoral tools had arrived in Chittagong and would be distributed amongt 719 presiding officers today.
He said police, Ansar, RAB and BGB personnel would be deployed at the polling centres and in the city before the day of voting.
The Election Commission has imposed restrictions on motor vehicles that took effect from Saturday midnight.
“All the outsiders who came to the city to campaign for candidates will have to leave early tomorrow [Sunday] and the commission, with the assistance of law enforcement agencies and the local administration, would raid residential hotels, guest houses and similar facilities,” said Baten.
He said no motorbike would be allowed on roads from this midnight till Wednesday midnight while all motor vehicles, except bicycles, rickshaws, ambulances and transports of service providers, would be banned from Monday midnight till Wednesday midnight.
“But the restriction will not apply to vehicles required for election tasks and that of journalists (upon permission).”
Candidates will have to end campaigns within this midnight and results will be announced from MA Aziz Stadium.
“Security will be tightened at the stadium from tomorrow. None will be allowed to move around the stadium area on the polling day and also 12 hours before and after that day,” Baten said.
A total of 17,000 police and Ansar members will be deployed for the inner security of 719 poll centres while police, RAB and BGB will be deployed as striking forces outside the centres.
Besides, a battalion of the armed forces will act on call, and 140 executive magistrates and 10 judicial magistrates will be working to maintain law and order in the city.
