Aspirants look for different strategies

Despite warning by the Election Commission, many mayoral and councillor hopefuls have yet to remove their posters and banners from different parts of the two Dhaka city corporations.

Moreover, some mayoral and councillor aspirants have started distributing leaflets and foods and visiting slum areas to woo voters.

However, most of the billboards that had been grabbed by mayoral and councillor aspirants have been removed. 

On Thursday, the EC directed the aspirants to remove all the campaign materials by Saturday morning, or face legal action.

Under the law, candidates cannot start campaign until 21 days from the voting day. Polls to the two Dhaka city corporations and Chittagong City Corporation will be held on April 28.   

Yesterday, this correspondent saw no billboard but hundreds of posters in front of Shishu Park at Shahbagh, Bijoy Sarani, Gulistan, Paltan and Mohammadpur areas. Billboard Owners Association alleged that most mayoral hopefuls grabbed their billboards in these areas.

“I have removed all of my billboards from the Dhaka South City Corporation area,” said Hazi Mohammad Selim, a mayoral hopeful.

Kamal Ahmed Majumder, mayoral aspirant from Dhaka North City Corporation, said he asked his supporters to remove all the billboards immediately.

Asked about the posters, Selim and Kamal said they would remove them too.

In Dhaka South City Corporation, Selim distributed leaflets among voters who came to different mosques for Friday prayers.

“A few hundred people, including me, have been assigned by Hazi Selim to distribute leaflets among people,” said Mohammad Arif in front of a mosque at Bhuter Goli near Green Road.

He added Selim hired at least 17 microbuses for the job.

Asked, Selim said his followers might distribute leaflets as they loved him and wanted to see him as mayor.

Supporters of both Selim and Kamal also distributed food and water among road-side people at different places in their areas.

 The EC has asked the two returning officers to take legal action against the aspiring candidates for their failure to remove campaign materials from the two city corporations.

The returning officers said their officials would visit different places today to see it for themselves if the prospective candidates removed their posters and billboards.

They warned of legal action if the mayoral and councillor aspirants failed to abide by the EC directive.

Under the law, candidates can lose their candidacies for violating election codes.

The ruling AL has decided to back Annisul Huq in Dhaka south and Sayeed Khokon in Dhaka north city corporations as mayoral candidates.