MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS : Electioneering ends tonight [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS : Electioneering ends tonight

Local December 28, 2015

Electioneering in the municipal polls scheduled for Wednesday would end midnight today and Border Guard Bangladesh members were deployed for four days from this morning, while pre-polls violence reported from several municipal areas on Sunday.
A Bangladesh Nationalist Party mayoral candidate was allegedly forced to quit the election race.
The Election Commission on Sunday sent letters to ruling Awami League lawmakers Dhirendra Debnath Shambhu and Showkat Hasanur Rahman to leave their constituency immediately as they were staying at Barguna ignoring the electoral code of conduct, an election commissioner said.
The commission asked the home ministry to withdraw officers-in-charge of Ishwarganj in Mymensingh, Hatia in Noakhali and Jagannathpur in Sunamganj for violating the code, a commission official said.
It also warned the officer-in-charge of Phulpur police station in Mymensingh not to violate the code anymore, the official said.
The commission withdrew the returning officer of Jaipurhat Tofazzal Hossain, also the additional deputy commissioner (revenue), said the official.
The commission on Sunday ordered deployment of border guards in 229 of the 234 municipalities that would go to the polls on Wednesday.
It also ordered deployment of Coast Guard members in the rest five coastal municipalities.
Border guard director (operations) Lieutenant Colonel Tawhidul Islam said that border guards began
departing from their respective units at 6:00pm on Sunday for the respective municipal areas and they started patrolling some of the municipal areas.
BNP mayoral candidate for Satkania municipality in Chittagong Rafiqul Alam announced his withdrawal from the race on Sunday, just a day before the polls.
At a briefing at Satkania, he said that he had to quit the election race to get respite from false cases and to protect his party leaders and activists who were electioneering for him.
About 50 BNP activists were injured as opposition candidates and their campaigners were attacked at places allegedly by ruling Awami League activists.
At least BNP 25 activists were injured in attacks on BNP nominated mayoral candidates were injured in attacks on campaigners of two BNP candidates allegedly by AL activists in Manohardi and Narsingdi on Saturday night.
In Narsingdi, AL mayoral candidate Kamaruzzaman’s supporters attacked BNP candidate Saiful Islam Sohel’s supporters while in Manohardi municipality supporters of AL candidate Aminur Rashid Sujon attacked BNP candidate Mahmudul Haque’s supporters, witnesses said.
Kamaruzzaman’s supporters also vandalised the house of Saiful Islam’s activist Mainuddin in East Brahmandi area.
In Noakhali, at least five people were injured in a clash between supporters of AL candidate and rebel AL candidate at Uskhali Bazaar at Hatiya on Sunday.
Hatiya police station officer-in-charge Nurul Huda said that the supporters clashed after a meeting conducted by deputy commissioner Munir Ferdous on electoral code of conduct.
In Bhola, incumbent ward councillor Humain Kabir, also a local BNP leader, came under attack on Sunday while he was electioneering for his wife, candidate for reserved councillor for woman.
In Jamalpur, at least 10 BNP activists were injured in an attack by AL activist at Sarishabari municipality. AL activists also set fire on the local BNP office, witnesses said.
In Patuakhali, BNP-backed councillor candidate Ali Akkas Hawlader in Kalapara municipality was hacked by miscreants when he was conducting a mass contact at Mankhepara on Sunday.
In Barguna, the house of BNP mayoral candidate for Betagi municipality Humayun Kabir was robbed and vandalised on Saturday night.
Humayun alleged that AL activists were involved in the incident while AL candidate denied the allegation.
In Shariatpur, several crude bombs were blasted and three motorcycles were set on fire at an abandoned house of AL mayoral candidate Haider Ali at Naria on Saturday night.
Haider alleged that supporters of AL rebel candidate M Shahidul Islam Babu attacked the house at about 9:00pm.
Shahidul Islam denied the allegation saying that his supporters were not in the area after 8:00pm.
In Lakshmipur, AL activists vandalised the election camp and robbed two motorcycles of BNP mayoral candidate for Raiganj municipality Roman Hossain on Sunday.
In Comilla, independent mayoral candidate for Chandina municipality Abdul Manan Sarkar on Sunday withdrew from the race and extended his support to AL candidate Mofizul Islam.
In Munshiganj, Jatiya Party (JP) mayoral candidate for Mirkadim municipality Khandakar Mohammad Hossain on Sunday announced his withdrawal from the race.
In Mymensingh, at least four activists of AL rebel candidate for Trisal municipality ABM Anisuzzaman were injured in an attack allegedly by AL activists.
At a meeting with chief election commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed on Sunday, a BNP delegation led by its standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan expressed grave concern over the pre-polls violence and urged the commission to take necessary steps for holding the elections in a transparent manner.
Rakibuddin told reporters that the situation would develop within a day or two.