Awami League is determined to give a fitting riposte to opposition leader Khaleda Zia’s Gopalganj remarks by ensuring the highest ever voter turnout recorded in the district.
Local leaders of the party said they were expecting a turnout of 95% voters in all three constituencies of the district in the tenth national elections that start early this morning.
Khaleda on December 29, while speaking outside her Gulshan residence, launched a stinging criticism of Gopalganj, a traditional stronghold of the ruling party, after officials debarred her from going out and attending a prescheduled rally.
The comment sparked an instant outcry from the residents of the region and renewed the debate about political provincialism in the country.
Following the incident, local AL leaders and activists went door to door to encourage voters to turn out on the Election Day and make a “fitting reply” to the rebuff of the opposition leader.
They are hopeful that a high turnout will also help boost the total number of votes to be cast in an election already tainted by unopposed pre-polls wins in over half of the constituencies across the country.
“We have formed committees for every centre to ensure maximum voter turnout. If any committee fails to ensure more than 90% voter turnout, it will be responsible for that,” said Mahabub Ali Khan, joint secretary of the district unit. “It is our will to give her [Khalada] a fitting reply. It has become a prestige issue.”
Statistics show that Gopalganj has been a vote-loving region historically and a proven power base for the AL.
In 2001 elections, the average voter turnout in the country was recorded at 75.59% while it was 79.49% in Gopalganj. The district’s turnout rate rose to 84.61% in 2008.
“This time, we want to register a record 95% turnout from our three constituencies,” said Bimal Krishna Biswas, upazila chairman of Kotalipara, which is under Gopalgonj 3 constituency from where AL chief and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will contest.
It has a total of 211,839 voters of which 148,306 reside in Kotalipara alone.
However, during a visit to the district town yesterday, few posters and banners were seen around and few slogans in support of the contesting candidates heard.
The reason, argues schoolteacher Mominul Islam, has to do with the fact that candidates of other parties “stand little chance to win.” “Despite knowing this, we will participate in the polls.”
Another voter, Arif Hossen, an NGO worker, said it was “unfortunate” that the AL candidates never really had to face stiff competitions from their opponents. “But it is different this time; we have been slighted by a national leader and here is our chance to pay her back.”
A similar sentiment was echoed by Rony, a lawyer working at the Dhaka’s Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court. He remarked that he had come back home only to vote against Khaleda.
According to sources, the AL leaders and activists in every ward of the district were instructed to ensure huge turnout. The party is also planning to reap benefits from the 100,000 individuals newly added to the Election Commission’s voter list.
The three AL candidates will contest their opponents from HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party, but in the past few days there had been no campaigns by them.
