Narayanganj
Selina Hayat Ivy and Taimur Alam Khandoker, two out of three heavyweight candidates in Narayanganj City Corporation polls, on Friday iterated their fear that the votes to be cast in their favour could be snatched away on October 30.
On the other hand, ruling Bangladesh Awami League-backed candidate AKM Shamim Osman claimed that there would be a fair election, but said the BNP-backed candidate Taimur Alam Khandker might quit the electoral race to pave the way for Ivy to win the polls.
‘I am still in a fear that there might be a vote robbery on October 30,’ said Selina Hayat Ivy, AL’s city unit vice-president whom the AL refused to back in the mayoral race, while talking to newsmen during her electoral campaign yesterday.
Ivy hinted that men of Shamim Osman might snatch away the votes on the election day—an allegation rejected outright by Shamim Osman.
Selina Hayat Ivy also alleged that the people of Shamim Osman were tearing her posters and festoons every night and demanded immediate action from the Election Commission.
‘Nobody but the people of my senior brother, Shamim Osman, will dare to tear posters in Narayanganj,’ she added.
On the other hand, Ivy on Friday wrote a letter to the returning officer for the election, Biswas Lutfor Rahman, with an appeal to play a neutral role in the election to ensure a level playing field for all.
Mentioning more than one incident of removing festoons by magistrates and snatching away the leaflets, Ivy, in her letter to the EC, alleged that the local administration was not playing a neutral role.
She reiterated her demanded for reshuffle in the local administration without any further delay to ensure holding of a free, fair and transparent election on October 30.
When his attention was drawn to Ivy’s fear, Shamim Osman told newsmen a tale of a thief and honest. ‘If someone is honest, he will think honestly and if someone is a thief, he will think in that way,’ he replied. But he hastened to add, ‘I, however, do not brand her as a thief.’
Asked whether he has fear of vote robbery in October 30 election, Taimur Alam Khandker said, ‘Yes, there is such an apprehension given the past incidents carried out by different people in the area.’
‘But I think they would not be able to do so in view of the massive wave of public support created in the country in favour of Khaleda Zia,’ Taimur Alam added.
Taimur was confident about his victory in the election, particularly in the wake of the rift in the ruling AL camp in Narayanganj. ‘People of Narayanganj want to live in a terrorism-free city,’ he added.
He, however, asked the Election Commission to play a neutral role to hold a free and fair election.
Meanwhile, the candidates have intensified their electioneering with only eight days to go for the votes. All the three candidates conducted massive campaigns on Friday, the weekly holiday, in different parts of the city.
Selina Hayat who started her campaign accompanying AL district convener yesterday and pledged to the voters that she would stamp out all kinds of terrorism from Narayanganj city.
She also said the people of Narayanganj wanted to get rid of the ‘repression’ of the Osman family, the family of her rival Shamim Osman.
She conducted her campaign at Jamtala and Bandar in the city yesterday while both Taimur and Shamim conducted campaigns at Siddhirganj, four-kilometer north of the zero point of the city.
Talking to newsmen during his campaign at Siddhirganj, Shamim said the electoral fight will ultimately be held between the AL and BNP.
‘But so far, I have heard that BNP-backed candidate [Taimur] sensing his defeat is looking for an excuse to boycott the election,’ he said.
Source: newagebd.com/newspaper1
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