VOTING BEGINS AT RANGPUR CITY POLLS
The balloting in 193 polling stations started at 8:00am and will
continue till 4:00pm without any break.
Of the polling stations, 128 are said to be vulnerable, or at risk of
seeing violence. A security team, every station have 12 armed member with total numbering
22-25, is guarding every polling station.
Seven candidates are there in the election race for the mayoral post,
while 211 candidates for ward councilors and 65 women candidates for reserved councilors.
In the mayoral race, there are being a triangular fight among Kawsar
Jahan Babla of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Sarfuddin Ahmed Jhantu of Awami
League and Md Mostafizur Rahman of Jatiya Party local people said.
The election is being held with the poll symbols of political parties
unlike its maiden election held on December 20, 2012, when pro-Awami League
Sarfuddin Ahmed Jhantu was elected mayor defeating his nearest rival Mostafizur
Rahman.
This time Hossain Makbul Shahriar, who is the nephew of HM Ershad, is
contesting the election as an independent mayoral candidate as the party
nominated Mostafiz to contest the polls.
Under the current Election Commission headed by KM Nurul Huda, this election
is the second major polls after Comilla City Corporation election held in March
last.
Closed-circuit cameras have been installed in three polling stations to
monitor the election uninterruptedly.
A total of 3,93,994 voters almost 50-50 man and women are expected to
exercise their voting right to elect a mayor, 33 ward councilors and 11 councilors
to the reserved seats of women in the election.
The EC have two monitoring cells – one in Rangpur and another in the ECSecretariat—to watch the election continuously.
The commission has sent its own observer team, numbering 22 officials,
to monitor the polls, he added.
Alongside over 5,500 law enforcers, 11 judicial magistrates and 33
executive magistrates will be in the election area to check any possible
breaching of the election code of conduct and election violence.
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