RANGPUR MAYORAL POLLS Voting tomorrow, electioneering ends

Mayoral and councillor candidates in Rangpur City Corporation election ended their campaigns on Tuesday midnight peacefully amidst allegations of electoral code violation in some places as the voting would be held tomorrow.
Candidates and their supporters passed a hectic day bringing out processions, holding meetings and visiting door to door to drum up support in their favour with pledges of different development works in the city. 
The returning officer’s office had completed all preparations to hold the polls. Ballot boxes, papers and necessary documents will be distributed among presiding officers at police community hall today.
According to the returning officer’s office, some 193 presiding, 1,122 assistant presiding and 2,244 polling officers have been appointed. Of the 193 vote centres, 128 centres were identified as vulnerable.
Returning officer Subhash Chandra Sarker said that there were no major incidents of election code violation. However, he added, Tk 25,400 were realised as fines from different candidates for some minor violations.
Candidates expressed mixed reaction about the possibility of a peaceful and fair election.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party candidate Kawsar Zaman Babla said that he was worried if fair polls could be conducted.
He said that he had demanded army deployment but that was not the case. ‘There is fear of violence as the army has not been deployed,’ he said.
Ruling Awami League candidate Sharfuddin Ahmed Jhantu, however, said that there was no scope of violence and hoped that he would win the elections. 
Jatiya Party candidate Mostafizur Rahman Mostafa said that he would win if it were a fair election.
Rangpur superintendent of police Mizanur Rahman said that the police were active to conduct a peaceful election.
A total of 2,231 police personnel and 515 village defence force members have been deployed to maintain law and order on the polling day. Thity three executive magistrates are monitoring the law and order.
A team of 10 law enforcers, led by a sub-inspector of police, will guard each of the 128 vulnerable centres and a team of eight law enforcers, led by a sub-inspector, will serve at each of the remaining 65 general vote centres. Some 33 mobile teams comprising of 10 law enforcers, led by an inspector, will remain active in 33 wards.
Twenty one platoon of BGB members have been deployed. RAB teams will remain active separately to maintain law and order in the city.   
Eight check-posts have been set up in entire city corporation area.  Eight police personnel will guard each check-post. 
The returning officer noted that 11 mobile courts led by 11 executive magistrates will remain active in 33 wards of the city.
He also said that votes would be cast by electronic voting machines at polling centre-141 of ward-25.  Election office had been organising a dummy vote casting show for the last five days at the centre to familiarise voters with the new system.
Closed-circuit television cameras have been set up at three centres in the election. Election Commission officials would be able to monitor the situation at the centres from Dhaka.
On December 20, 2012 the first ever RCC election was held in which AL-backed Sharfuddin Ahamed Jhantu was elected as the first mayor.
There are some 3,93,994 voters in 33 wards of Rangpur city. Of them 1,96,356 are male and 197,638 are female voters. The commanding area of the city is 203.6 square kilometres.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net