barisal city election - Dhaka Mirror

One injured in Barisal police firing

Admin — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 05:21:46 +0000

A close aide of BNP backed mayoral candidate in Barisal City Corporation has been injured in police firing triggering tension in the entire city ahead of the election. Police on Wednesday evening detained five female supporters of BNP backed candidate Ahsan Habib Kamal when they were distributing leaflets allegedly containing indecent remarks about AL backed candidate Shawkat Hossain Hiron. When the supporters of Kamal tried to get the female supporters freed from Police forcefully, the police opened fire leaving Harun, a close aide of Kamal injured. The victim is under treatment.
The incident triggered massive protests in Barisal city and supporters of Kamal brought out procession protesting the incident.
Till the filing of the report tensed situation was prevailing throughout the city.

-With The Independent input

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Barisal brawl continues before local polls

Admin — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 05:16:20 +0000

Candidates release election manifesto
The Grand Alliance-backed Sammilito Nagorik Committee nominated Shawkat Hossain Hiron, outgoing mayor of the BarisalCity Corporation, as its mayoral candidate, on Tuesday evening, for the coming city corporation polls. Hiron announced a 23-point election manifesto, to transform Barisal into a modern and beautiful city, with civic amenities. Other mayoral candidates, including the BNP-led 18 Party Alliance-supported Ahsan Habib Kamal, and independent candidate Mahmudul Haque Khan Mamun, however, described Hiron’s election manifesto as a package of lies.
Hiron declared his manifesto at a press briefing at Ashwini Kumar Hall. He told reporters that he had tried his best to serve citizens, within his short tenure. He claimed he had been able to usher in peace, prosperity, and religious and political co-existence.
“I’ve tried my best to make the city beautiful and clean. I apologise if I ever hurt anybody, during my development works. I urge everyone to re-elect me to the mayoral post,” he said.
In his election manifesto, Hiron highlighted his expanded development programmes for women, children and disabled people. He also cited the measures taken for healthy recreation and amusement, investment for business, employment and industrialisation.
He said that female zones would be set up on educational campuses and public squares. He also promised to construct community centres and flyovers in the city. Hiron also said he would set up educational institutes and modern hospitals. He further said that he would connect Barisal with the national railway network.
He promised to maintain a balance between the old city and the newly extended parts. He also promised to take care of the age-old waterlogging problem of the city.
Prof. Md Hanif, convener of the Sammilito Nagorik Committee, presided over the programme. Amir Hossain Amu, Tofayel Ahmed, Abul Hasanat Abdullah, Talukdar Md Yunus, Bahauddin Nasim, Mahabubuddin Birbikram, Nirmal Goswami and Balaram Poddar attended the event.

-With The Independent input

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Barisal poll, a ‘do-or-die’ match for rival political alliances

Admin — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 05:56:54 +0000

The battle of the ballot in Barisal has turned into a fight between ‘jote’ and ‘mahajote’, between the BNP-led alliance and the ruling Grand Alliance.
There are three mayoral candidates in the fray, but two of them are important: Ahsan Habib Kamal, who is supported by the 18-party alliance, and Shawkat Hossain Hiron, who is backed by the 14-party Grand Alliance. The city is virtually polarized between the candidates supported by the alliances led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Awami League.
Leaders of the two leading parties are now in Barisal and are moving around round the clock, seeking votes for their respective candidates. But at the end of the day, all the three candidates are accusing each other of malpractices.
Sources in the Election Commission noted that in the previous Barisal City Corporation (BCC) elections, the AL has won once and the BNP once. Local MP and president of the city BNP unit, Mujibor Rahman, was elected the first BCC mayor in 2003. Advocate Enayet Pir Khan was the mayoral candidate of Nagorik Parishad in the BCC election of 2003 and was supported by the 14-party alliance. He got more than 30,000 votes and came second, defeated by a margin of around 10,000 votes.
In the second BCC election, Advocate Shawakat Hossain Hiron, a candidate of the Awami League-led 14-party alliance supported by a portion of the Jatiya Party, was elected mayor of the Barisal City Corporation. He defeated Progatishil Democratic Party candidate Sardar Sarfuddin Santu, supported by a part of the BNP, by a margin of 588 votes. Shawkat Hossain Hiron polled 46,796 votes while his nearest rival, Sarfuddin Santu, garnered 46,208 votes.
On the other hand, Ahsan Habib Kamal, the than expelled BNP president of the city unit, who was supported by a portion of the BNP-Jamaat alliance and a portion of the Jatiya Party, received 26,416 votes while Ebaidul Huq Chan, former district BNP secretary, supported by a faction of the BNP-led alliance, polled 19,626 votes.
As a result, the BCC election of 2013 has turned into a ‘do or die’ match for the ruling AL and main Opposition BNP as well as their respective alliances.
Shawakat Hossain Hiron, the candidate supported by the ruling party, has accused his rival candidate Ahsan Habib Kamal of failure to develop the city in his time.

-With The Independent input

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Hiron apologises for previous mistakes

Admin — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 05:43:15 +0000

Mamun terms EC, local admin ‘biased’
The ruling Awami League-led alliance-backed candidate, Shawkat Hossain Hiron, also the outgoing mayor of Barisal city, on Tuesday apologised for mistakes during his
tenure and sought re-election in the upcoming mayoral election.
He sought the apology while announcing a 23-ponts election manifesto stressing to turn Barisal into a modern and beautiful city with expanded citizen services.
On other hand, another candidate Mahmudul Hoque Khan Mamun, a local Juba League leader, brought allegations of corruption against Hiron and accused the Election Commission and the local administration of biasness.
Mamun also announced his 19-point election manifesto promising to make BCC transparent, accountable and free from corruption and irregularities.
Hiron, announcing his manifesto in a meeting with the press at Ashwini Kumar Hall, said within a short tenure of 55 months as mayor he tried his best to ensure peace and prosperity and stop terrorism and extortion, drug peddling.
In the manifesto, Hiron highlighted expansion of development programmes for women, children and people with disability.
He also vowed to ensure healthy recreation and amusement facilities and favourable condition for investment, employment and industrialisation.
Meanwhile, Khan Mamun alleged that the ‘biased EC and administration’ had failed to maintain impartiality and were regularly harassing, threatening and suppressing his election campaigners.
He alleged that Hiron continued to break election conduct rule, using coloured bill-boards, running his campaign beyond the scheduled time while the administration and the EC did not take any action against him.
Announcing his election manifesto, Mamun said his first and most prior work would be to free BCC of corruption and irregularities, ensure maximum use of the announced budget.

-With New Age input

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Barisal City Corp poll: 2 mayoral candidates complain of EC bias

Admin — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:42:59 +0000

Two of the three mayoral candidates in the Barisal City Corporation (BCC) election alleged that the Election Commission (EC) has failed to ensure a level playing field in the poll, scheduled to be held on June 15. Questions have been raised about the role of the local EC by these candidates. Candidates and their supporters have openly expressed dissatisfaction over what they described as the EC’s partiality. One of the mayoral contestants has been displaying banners and festoons all over the city in violation of BCC election rules. In this banner, he has used colour photographs of developmental works.
Again, supporters and workers of mayoral candidate Mahmudul Haque Khan Mamun have alleged attacks by the rival camp. Khan said he has complained about this to the local election officer from time to time, but his complaints have gone unheeded. Khan claimed that a free and fair election would not be conducted here by the present EC, local administration and police.
Similar allegations were levelled by Ahsan Habib Kamal, the mayoral candidate supported by the 18-Party Alliance. Ahsan Habib Kamal demanded removal of seven police officers, including the Barisal Metropolitan Police (BMP) commissioner, the officers-in-charge (OCs) of airport, Kotwali and Kawnia police stations and three sub-inspectors, whom he identified by name.
At one stage, both the candidates demanded deployment of the army during the BCC poll.
The EC, while visiting Barisal, directed the officials of the administration and law enforcement agencies to show zero tolerance and play an impartial, unbiased, proactive role in curbing violence, terrorist activities and threats. A three-tier system of security measures has been planned for the BCC election.
Md. Mujibor Rahman, returning officer of the 2013 BCC poll, said, “We are doing our best to hold a free and fair election. We have already formed a six-member vigilance team to curb violation of election rules.”
However, this has not reassured the candidates. At one stage, central BNP vice-chairman Abdullal Al Noman, at a press conference, questioned the impartiality of the EC and demanded deployment of the army in the BCC election. Noman claimed that the administration, police and EC had failed to perform their duty impartially and had not created and maintained a level playing field for all candidates.

-With The Independent input

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Barisal poll: BNP leader questions EC’s impartiality, seeks army deployment

Admin — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 06:19:46 +0000

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Sunday raised questions about the impartiality of the Election Commission (EC) and demanded deployment of the army in the Barisal City Corporation (BCC ) election. The BNP’s central vice-chairman Abdullal Al Noman and the BNP’s Barisal city unit president Mojibor Rahman Sarwar levelled these allegations during a programme held for exchanging views with journalists at Barisal Ashwini Kumar Hall. The meeting was presided over by Sarwar.
Noman, demanding deployment of armed forces in the BCC election, said the administration, police and EC have failed to perform their duty impartially. They have not created and maintained a level playing field for all candidates, he added.
Noman alleged that the EC has selected most of the presiding and polling officials from the activists of the rival 14-party Grand Alliance and was trying to conduct an election based on vote-rigging and was planning to give out prearranged false and fabricated results in accordance with the directions of the ruling 14-party alliance. “The EC has ignored our demands for changing the setups of the police administration as well as our allegations against violations of the rules of election conduct by candidates backed by the ruling alliance. They are only harassing our activists and supporters,” he said.
Mujibur Rahman, returning officer of the third BCC election, 2013, however, refuted all allegations. Unlike the national elections, he explained, the administration and police are not under the EC during local government polls. All allegations filed with the EC are duly sent to the mobile court teams, he noted.
The EC has made full preparations for conducting a free, fair election peacefully with the help of more than 4,000 members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Coast Guard, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Armed Police Battalion (APBn), police, Ansar and other law-enforcement agencies. He pointed out that deployment of the army requires a decision by the higher authorities.
Mojibor Rahman Sarwar, who is the first elected BCC mayor, is also a lawmaker and chief election coordinator of the mayoral candidate backed by the 18-Party Alliance. He alleged in the press conference that the 14-party alliance has hijacked the credit for the developmental works that were achieved and misappropriated grants approved during the tenure of the BNP-led government.
Sarwar also alleged that the major developmental works were started and completed by him, or their funds were approved by him, but the credit has been appropriated and propaganda has been spread that the mayoral candidate backed by the 14-party alliance, outgoing mayor Shawkat Hossain Hiron, was responsible.
The BNP-led alliance government, he said, has carried out developmental works worth more than Tk. 1,250 crore, including formation of Barisal division, metropolitan city and police, and university; activation of the airport, divisional stadium, divisional public library, a double-decker bus service; establishment of central bus terminals, the court complex, women police dormitory and diabetic and heart foundation hospitals, and preservation of liberation war memorials.
The outgoing mayor has performed an eyewash, with superficial development and beautification as well as repairs for the purpose of misappropriating huge amounts of funds, Sarwar alleged. He added that his rival had failed to construct even a single new bridge on the city’s canals, but had filled canals and constructed culverts after demolishing bridges, hampering the city’s drainage and sewerage system. Sarwar provided instances and documents.
Sarwar also claimed that leaders and activists backed by the ruling alliance had misappropriated 75 per cent of the money that had been showed as spent for the city’s development by carrying out substandard work, grabbed the lands of minority Christian and Hindu communities, and filled rivers to grab land and establish dockyards as well as set up other kinds of businesses.
Candidates for the posts of mayor and councillors, backed by the ruling 14-party alliance, not only used black money in election publicity by erecting hundreds of coloured billboards and to purchase votes, but also used muscle power, forcibly deploying BCC and project employees in election propaganda, Sarwar alleged.

-With The Independent input

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Kamal vows need-based development under master plan

Admin — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 06:12:27 +0000

Ahsan Habib Kamal, mayoral candidate of the 18-party alliance-backed Jatiyatabadi Nagarik Parishad, Sunday noon announced his 22-point election manifesto
stressing sustainable development under a master plan.
Meanwhile, central BNP vice-chairman Abdullal Al Noman and city BNP president raised questions about impartiality of the Election Commission and demanded deployment of army in the BCC election.
Mojibor Rahman Sarwar, first elected BCC mayor, city BNP president, lawmaker, chief election coordinator of the 18-party alliance-backed mayoral candidate, alleged that the 14-party alliance hijacked development works done during the BNP-led government.
These were stated in an exchange of views with the journalists at Barisal Ashwini Kumar Hall. Mojibor Rahman Sarwar presided over the programme.
Ahsan Habib Kamal, former municipal chairman and district BNP president, reading out his 22-point election manifesto announced that, if elected, he would do need-based development of the BCC wards under a sustainable master plan.
Vowing to expand employment opportunities for women and youths, he promised to address energy crisis by connecting Barisal with the national gridline of natural gas supply.
BNP central vice-chairman Noman, demanding deployment of armed forces in BCC election, said administration, police and the Election Commission failing to perform duty impartially.
EC selected most of the presiding and polling officials from the activists of 14-party alliance to pave the way for vote-ragging and give a pre-arranged false and fabricated result as per direction of the ruling 14-party alliance, Noman alleged.

-With New Age input

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Mayoral candidates pledge to make Barisal city child-friendly

Admin — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 11:00:24 +0000

All of three mayoral candidates in the third Barisal City Corporation election
have pledged to make the city children-friendly.
They were speaking at a programme styled ‘face to face with children’ organised by a local monthly children magazine ‘Lal-Sabuj’ at Ashwini Kumar Hall Wednesday night in the city.
Different non-government and child rights organisations cooperated with the children magazine.
Ruling Awami League-led ‘14-party’ alliance-backed candidate Shawkat Hossain Hiron and independent candidate Mahmudul Hoque Khan Mamun, also a local Juba League leader, attended the programme.
Though the opposition ‘18-party’ alliance-backed candidate Ahsan Habib Kamal could not attend the programme, he expressed his solidarity with all of the demands of the children.
Monthly Lal-Sabuj executive editor Sohanur Rahman presided over the programme conducted by Maliha Tabassum Jhara and Foyezuddin of National Children Task Force.
The participant children placed eight-point demands including designating a children affairs officer with office at BCC, creating city children council and helpline, special budget allocation for children, preserving children-interests in city development
planning, special programmes for developing creativities and coordinated steps in children
affairs.
Hiron pledged that no child would ever sleep under open sky if he was elected again.
‘I will not only make the city children-friendly, but also provide them with healthy cultural, recreational, amusement and sports facilities and open ward-wise children parks,’ Ahsan Habib Kamal said in his message sent to the children.

-With New Age input

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