People who have seen previous city corporation elections in the port city have said that this year’s voter turnout may surpass the previous two.
They said that because of a more stable political situation than before, greater number of contestants, and the enthusiasm of those who could not cast their votes in last year’s national election may end up boosting voter presence this time.
Moreover, compared to the capital city Dhaka, the law and order situation in the port city has been much better during the electioneering period, with very few untoward incidents reported.
Senior journalist Sarwar Sumon, Chittagong bureau chief of Bangla daily Samakal, thinks that the situation in the port city is much better than the previous occasions.
“Two things may give voter turnout a boost. One is if the female voters turn up in big numbers. And second is the presence of those who could not cast votes in last year’s national election either because it was boycotted by one of the major parties or because the MP candidates in their areas were elected uncontested,” said Sarwar who has the experience of covering the last two city elections in the port city.
According to the Election Commission (EC), more than 1.8 million male and female adults will be able to practice their democratic rights this year.
Shahiduddin Mahmud, a former city polls presiding officer, said that there were fears among the voters in 2010; but this year, things appear to be much more stable than before.
Seeking anonymity, another former election officer from the last election told the Dhaka Tribune: “The situation has been stable because ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury [a former mayor and one of the most influential leaders of Awami League in Chittagong] is not in the race this year.”
In the city polls 10 years ago, the number of voters in the port city was more than 1.13 million. That year, around 54% voters cast their ballots and Mohiuddin was elected the mayor.
The elections that were held five years later, around 56% of more than 1.68 million voters cast their ballots and BNP leader M Manjur Alam defeated Mohiuddin to become the mayor.
The BNP is once again backing Manjur for the mayoral race in the port city. Among others, he will be up against AJM Nasiur Uddin, general secretary of the Chittagong unit of the ruling party.
CCC Election Returning Officer Md Abdul Baten said it is hard to predict the voter turnout.
“In the previous elections, voter turnouts were below 60%. But the EC hopes to see better figures this year,” he said.
