MERCURY GOES UP IN 4 CITIES Khulna
No-one cares about bike ban
Electioneering in the four city corporations ended last night that saw last-minute frantic efforts from mayoral and councillor aspirants to woo voters. The cities will be calm today after two weeks of hectic election campaigns. Now, all have to wait till tomorrow morning when voters cast their ballots to decide the fate of the candidates.
Police seize motorcycles in Rajshahi city yesterday. The Election Commission has imposed a ban on operations of bikes in four cities going to polls tomorrow. The ban remains in place from Wednesday midnight till tomorrow noon. Photo: Focus Bangla
Supporters of mayoral aspirants in Khulna city did the last-minute electioneering, travelling on motorbikes yesterday though the two-wheelers were not allowed since the early hours of the day.
The home ministry in a circular on security arrangement said motorbikes were prohibited until the midnight of June 15, the day of the city corporation elections.
Such instructions come before any election as the two-wheeler is considered as an easy mode of transport for carrying out violence, said sources in the ministry.
Supporters of ruling Awami League-backed candidate Talukdar Abdul Khaleque were seen campaigning in different parts of the city with posters of the symbol under which their favourite is contesting the polls stuck to the front and rear side of their bikes.
“We are conducting campaigns as instructed by our senior leaders. We don't know that motorbikes are not allowed today," one of them said.
At Notun Bazar Char, some eight to ten supporters of BNP-backed candidate Moniruzzaman Mony were riding on three motorbikes while campaigning.
Khulna Metropolitan Commissioner Shafiqur Rahman said they had seized 51 motorbikes till the evening and would continue the drive.
There are more instances of defying orders of the election authorities.
The outsides were to leave the city by Wednesday night but many political leaders stayed there after that.
Shafiul Alam Chanchal, a lawmaker of Jhinaidah, was engaged in campaigning with Khaleque yesterday morning.
BNP Khulna district unit president Mazedul Islam, who is not a voter of the city, AL Gopalganj district unit leader Babul and a central leader of Jubo League stayed at Hotel Royel till the noon, said the hotel staff.
Two BNP leaders from Dhaka were at Hotel New Safe but the hotel staff did not name them.
Enayet Ali, a close aide of Khaleque, and BNP lawmaker Nazrul Islam Manju said supporters had defied the orders maybe because of their ignorance.
The commissioner said they were raiding hotels to flush outsiders out of the city.
Seeking anonymity, an official of the Khulna election commission office, said they had sent mobile courts whenever they were informed of any violation of the code of conduct.
Meanwhile, Manju, also BNP Khulna city president, demanded army deployment in the interest of peaceful elections.
A huge number of law enforcers, including members of Border Guard Bangladesh and Rapid Action Battalion have already been deployed in the city.
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