Rangpur city to see hard contest among 3 mayoral candidates
Hard contest is expected among three of the 12 mayoral candidates in the first-ever Rangpur City Corporation (RCC) polls slated for December 20. The three heavyweight candidates are Shorfuddin Ahmed Jhantu, former lawmaker and member of advisory committee of Rangpur district unit of Awami League, AKM Abdur Rauf Manik, former mayor of Rangpur municipality and former organising secretary of Jatiya Party central committee, and Mostafizar Rahman Mostafa, former chairman of Rangpur Sadar upazila parishad and member secretary of Jatiya Party Rangpur district unit. Election symbols of the three candidates are motorcycle, spectacle and duck respectively. Three hundred and twenty-seven candidates will vie for 33 councillor posts and 91 others for 11 women's reserved councillor posts. As many as 3,57,742 voters, including 1,79,128 male and 1,78,614 female, will choose a mayor and 44 councillors, through the polls. All the candidates attended a large number of small rallies and meetings in different areas of the city and conducted door to door campaign to woo voters. The city people want to choose an honest and efficient mayor for better development of the city that is already plagued with various problems like traffic jam, waterlogging, drug peddling, inconsistent development of infrastructure and deterioration of law and order, locals said. The authorities concerned have already completed their preparations to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections. "Selection of 178 polling centres, 1,070 booths, 178 presiding officers, 1,070 assistant presiding officers and 2,140 polling officers and their necessary trainings have been completed and sending of ballot boxes with inputs will be completed on December 19," said Rangpur Zonal Election Officer Md Monirul Islam, also returning officer of the RCC polls. Rangpur Zonal Election office has also identified 104 out of 178 polling centres as “vulnerable†considering the previous records of the candidates of the respective wards, he added. The Election Commission will use electronic voting machines in four polling centres of ward No 11 in the RCC polls. Saleh Mohammad Tanvir, superintend of police of Rangpur, said 2,750 policemen along with Ansar, Border Guard Bangladesh and Rapid Action Battalion personnel will perform duty to ensure a peaceful voting. Thirty-three executive magistrates and fifteen mobile courts will also work round the clock in the RCC polls. The government upgraded Rangpur municipality to city corporation on June 28 this year. Meanwhile, Md Faruk Aziz Shahin, Nagorik Oikyo backed mayoral candidate contesting with 'horse' symbol, has lodged complaints of election rule violation against three of his rival candidates with Rangpur Zonal Election Office. At a press conference yesterday, he alleged that Shorfuddin Ahmed Jhantu, AKM Abdur Rauf Manik, and Mostafizar Rahman Mostafa were frequently bringing out motorbike processions and giving donations to different social organisations, violating the polls code. Shahin said he will go to the court if the returning officer concerned fails to take necessary action against the election code violation. The returning officer the RCC polls, Md Monirul Islam said, "We have already started investigation about these allegations and fined mayoral candidate Abdul Quddus, councillor candidate Shah Alam of ward No 15, and two campaigners of AKM Abdur Rauf Manik and Shorfuddin Ahmed Jhantu on Sunday for violating the election code."
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