The ruling party Awami League (AL) candidate and main opponent Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have already grabbed the attention of the people at the local level Gazipur City Corporation (GCC), along with the excitement of the upcoming national elections.
The GCC candidates, who have campaigned across the city during the entire month of Ramadan, are in much anticipation of a successful election.
“In my campaign I covered the entire election area and tried to reach almost every voter personally. I am cent percent hopeful of being elected as the mayor,” AL candidate Jahangir Alom told the Dhaka Tribune.
BNP candidate Hasan Uddin Sarker, a former Jatiya Party MP, workers' leader and veteran politician, is also quite hopeful.
“If there is no vote manipulation by the government, the decision of voters will go in my favour,” the BNP candidate Hasan told the Dhaka Tribune.
We tried to look at three crucial demographic factors - industrial workers, young voters, and local supporters – which may determine the outcome of the election Tuesday.
RMG workers: Kingmakers?
According to the EC, the city area has 11,37,736 voters, 569,935 of them male and 567,801 female.
Almost a quarter of the voters are not Gazipur-born.
Gazipur is home to over 3,500 factories and there are about one million industrial workers here.
Trade unions say about 350,000 of these workers are registered as voters in the city, and they will be the heart of this election.
The mayor candidates from BNP and Awami League have perceived this as well.
Frequent campaigns were held in the neighbourhoods where workers live in high numbers.
AL candidate Mohammad Jahangir Alom has promised to construct high-rise buildings for the readymade garment (RMG) workers which they can rent at low costs.
BNP candidate Hasan Uddin Sarker has promised to set up planned residential areas for different classes of people, including the RMG and low income workers. He also promised to ensure security and rights for the workers.
RMG workers said that they had seen most of the seven mayor candidates seeking votes. However, most workers were leaning towards either the AL or the BNP candidate.
“The RMG workers are mainly concerned about their safety, transportation system, social and health security. There is no specialized hospital for the RMG workers though accidents are common here,” said Muntazina Rubi, the welfare officer at Pan-Asia Clothing Limited.
Youths to vote for better living, better environment
About half of the voters are young.
In conversations with this reporter, young voters said that conventional politics in the city area had little contribution to the overall development and most of the election commitments of the former mayor had remained incomplete.
Gazipur citizens brace for the city corporation election, scheduled to kick off Tuesday Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka Tribune“We have numerous problems in our city corporation area - the condition of roads and transport is bad, water logging, drugs and extortion. We want better living conditions and environment in our city,” said Abu Rahat, a resident of the Tongi area.
“The young voters in election are no more obsessed with the political connection. They want the problems addressed,” he added.
Local support: A crucial factor
Apart from young voters and RMG workers, local supporters loyal to each candidate will also play an important role in the election.
AL candidate Jahangir comes from Kanaiya area in Gazipur while BNP candidate Hasan Sarker comes from Tongi.
Though both of the candidates have tried their level best to reach all the voters, local BNP leaders claimed that Hasan mainly carried out his election campaign in the Tongi area.
Two Ansar members carrying ballot boxes to be used during the Gazipur city polls Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka Tribune
"There are many BNP voters in this area, but I am not sure whether they will vote for Hasan Sarker, because he did not campaign enough here," said Tofazzal, a local of Gazipur bus stand area.
AL supporters are worried about internal clashes among senior leaders in the city.
Seeking anonymity, a local AL activist close to Jahangir said that though the high officials from the party had directed all leaders to work for Jahangir, a number of district AL leaders do not want Jahangir as mayor.
