All eyes are focused on the Gazipur City Corporation elections, scheduled for July 6 after the debacle of ruling party backed candidates in four city polls on June 15. The landslide victory of the 18-party backed candidates showed which way the winds are blowing. Though it’s a non-party elections, the national political divide like the four City polls on Saturday has cast a shadow on the small city’s first polls, where six contestants are vying for the coveted job of the mayor, who along with a number of ward councilors are going to be elected on July 6, in Gazipur, some 33 km north of Dhaka.
The electoral process for the Gazipur city polls was set off on Tuesday with the distribution of the electoral symbols among the six aspirants for the post of Mayor.
Awami League joint general secretary and Prime Minister’s special assistant Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif on Tuesday said, personal failures of the 14-party candidates might be responsible for the defeat in the just concluded four city polls.
“City corporation election is not a party poll. People cast their votes in the city polls after determining personal competence and leadership qualities of the candidates. That might have been a determining factor for their defeat,” he said.
Hanif said this while talking to newsmen at Kushtia Circuit House after a view exchange meeting with government officers and employees this morning.
The Prime Minister’s special assistant said it has been proved through the city polls that free, fair and neutral election could be held under the present government.
“The lack of confidence of the opposition upon the government has been removed through this election. So, there is no scope to raise any debate on the matter,” the Awami League leader said adding: “I believe that the opposition will take part in the parliamentary elections under the present government.”
Meanwhile, symbols were allocated among the mayoral and councilor candidates of Gazipur city corporation election that was scheduled for July 6, reports our correspondent from Gazipur.
Returning officer for the GCC elections Md Motiar Rahman allocated the symbols among the candidates on Tuesday from returning office established at Bangataj auditorium in Gazipur town. The mayoral and councilor candidates and their supporters were present at this time.
The ruling 14-party alliance led by Awami League backed candidate Ajmat Ullah Khan was given “pen-inkpot” as his electoral symbol while 18-partyalliance and opposition BNP-backed candidate professor M.A. Mannan was given the “television” as his symbol, the AL rival candidate from Sammilito Nagorik Committee was given ‘pineapple’ , Mezba Uddin Rubel Sarker from Jatiyatabadi Prajanma Dal was given ‘Duck’ , Md Aman Ullah was given ‘ Lock’ and Rina Sultana was given ‘Butterfly’. The returning officer also distributed the symbols for the post of 446 general candidates against 57 wards and 126 reserved female seats against 19 reserved wards. Many of the supporters of the candidates both mayor and councillor brought out procession after immediate allocated the symbols.
On January 16 this year, the local government division formed the Gazipur City Corporation comprising of Gazipur and Tongi municipalities as the 11th city city corporation of the country. Chief election commissioner Kazi Rakib Uddin ahmed anoounced the schedule of GCC election on May 22. According to the schedule, the election will be held on July 6.
-With The Independent input
