Candidates for the upcoming municipality polls in the district on December 30, are spending the better part of the day hunting for votes.
According to sources, heated arguments can be heard in buses, markets, tea stalls and even drawing rooms as people argue over their candidates, present their analysis and forcefully make their predictions in three municipalities of the district.
Five mayoral candidates, 44 councillors and 14 women for reserved seat candidates are battling in Narsingdi municipality.
The municipality consists of nine wards where over 87,023 voters have been waiting to elect their candidates.
Of the voters, 43,645 are male and 43,378 are female.
Kamruzzaman Kamrul got nomination as mayoral candidate from Awami League, Syful Islam Shohel from Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Sadekur Rahman from Jatio Party and Farzana Akter Popy got nomination from National Peoples’ party as mayoral candidates.
SA Kayum, rebel candidate of Awami Leagu got nomination as independent candidate.
According to locals, the candidates of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party could not win the poll in the past due to internal faction. But, for this time the scenario is different. Now they are united and nominated a new man.
On the other hand, the supporters of Awami League said there was a big bank of the party in the municipality. In the past they had won the race of the poll with a great popularity.
Mayor of the municipality Lokman Hossain was shot dead by an unidentified assailant at the town Awami League office on Sadar Road in 2011.
Forty-three-year-old Lokman was the general secretary of the town unit Awami League.
Later, Kamruzzaman Kamrul, brother of Lokman became the mayor of the municipality.
A section of people said Kamrul was very popular and he would win the election.
Suspended Awami League leader Kayum has also a strong hold in the area and he might win the race, said some local people.
The district unit Awami League leaders said they were in hard position about the supporters of the rebel candidate.
In Madhabdi municipality, four mayoral candidates, 45 councillors and 14 women for reserved councillor seats are fighting.
The municipality consists of 12 wards and there are 27,701 voters. Of them 12,835 are male and 14,871 are female.
Awami League nominated industrialist Mosharraf Hossain Manik Prodhan as its mayoral candidate. The current mayor Hazi Elias got nomination from Bangladesh Nationalist Party to race the election. Abdul Matin is contesting the election as independent candidate. Harun Mian got nomination from Islami Andolon as mayor candidate.
A section of people said Elias had a big vote bank and no body could defeat him as he was popular in the area.
Another section said there would be hard contest between the candidates of Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Six mayoral candidates, 34 councillors and 12 women for reserved councillor seats are fighting to win the polls in Monohrdi municipality.
There are nine wards and 12,070 voters have waiting to elect their candidates in the municipality.
Mayoral candidates Amunur Rashid Sujan of Awami League, Mammudul Haque of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Nazrul Islam of Jatio Party and Abdul Mannan of Islami Shashantantra Andolon are busy to woo voters.
On the other hand, former mayor Abdul Khalek, rebel candidate of Bangladesh Nationalist Part and Amzad Hossain are campaigning as independent candidates.
Locals said Awami League candidate might win the poll as there was faction in Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
