Votes of members belonging to different regional associations in Sylhet will play an important role in defining the fate of the candidates in the upcoming mayoral polls of the city corporation.
A good number of citizens observed that the aspirant, who would be able to get the votes of such region-based associations, would be ahead in the mayoral race scheduled to be held on June 15.
There are more than 10 region-based social organisations in the city such as Mymensingh Samiti, Rangpur Samiti, Chittagong Samiti, Comilla Samiti, Khulna Samiti, Dhaka Samiti, Noakhali Samiti, Barisal Samiti, Faridpur Samiti and Pabna Samiti.
The number of members of these associations is more than 75,000 and almost all of them are enlisted voters of the city corporation.
The total number of such voters in Sylhet city is 2,91,046 in this time, according to the voter list.
The people of the mentioned regions, who have been living in Sylhet city because of their professions, have formed such bodies to promote their own socio-cultural traditions as well as maintain some influence in society, the sources said.
Sources in the organisations said the association members, irrespective of their profession and religion, work together in order to hold their social position.
These associations also have started to be united to have their own influence in the SCC election, sources in different associations said.
In terms of the number of members, Mymensingha Samiti is on top among the associations and then come Rangpur Samiti and Chittagong Samiti.
As a result, two main contestants in the SCC mayoral race — 18-party alliance-backed Ariful Haque Chowdhury and 14-party alliance-backed Badar Uddin Ahmad — were trying to bag the support of these associations from very beginning of the election campaigns.
Moreover, Kamran’s wife Asma Kamran and Arif’s wife Shama Haque have been assigned by the respective camps to woo the association members, especially those of Mymensingh Samiti, as both Asma and Shama are advisory council members of the Samiti.
Talking to New Age, Shama claimed that most of the votes under Mymensingh Samiti would be cast in favore of her husband Arif as her parental home is in Mymensingh.
On the other side, Asma expressed her hope to bag 90 per cent of the voters of Mymensingh for Kamran since her father is an inhabitant of Tangail, a part of the greater Mymensingh.
-With New Age input
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