BNP asks its agents not to leave centres

With elections to the country's three key city corporations only a couple of days away, the BNP is asking its prospective polling agents not to leave polling booths under any coercion from their rival camp on the election day.

The party, which takes the city elections as a window to showcase the public support it claims to have, has been issuing the instructions in a series of workshops since last week to train the agents for the BNP-backed mayor aspirants in Dhaka North, Dhaka South and Chittagong city corporations, party insiders said.

According to the electoral laws, a contestant can appoint only one agent at a polling booth. The agents' main job is to assist in detection of personation during the voting on behalf of their candidates.

In Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), a mayoral candidate can field 5,892 agents at as many booths in 1,093 polling centres. The numbers of election agents are 4,746 in 889 centres and 4,906 in 719 centres in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Chittagong City Corporation (CCC).

According to BNP insiders, the party is training more than 16,000 leaders and activists for the election duty in the DNCC and the DSCC, to keep adequate manpower ready as backup in case a polling agent needs rest or fails to perform.

The same is being done in the CCC so that they don't face any problem in making replacements if required, Amir Khashru Mahmud Chowdhury, president of the Chittagong city BNP, told our correspondent there.

"We fear the ruling party men would exercise every unfair means possible, including intimidating our men, to clinch victory for their candidates," Bazlul Karim Chowdhury Abed, campaign coordinator for BNP-backed mayor candidate Mirza Abbas in the DSCC, told The Daily Star.

"The party high-ups and our election experts have given tips to our men, who will work as polling agents, so that they do not break down in the face of intimidations," he said, adding that the same was being done for the agents in the CCC election.

In the DNCC, Manirul Huq Chowdhury, campaign coordinator for BNP-blessed mayor aspirant Tabith Awal, said they would provide all kinds of support to their prospective agents, as instructed by the party high command.

The BNP's workshops for election agents will continue till tomorrow. And they have picked tomorrow, the day before the voting day, to submit the agents' list to the returning officers due to "strategic reasons", BNP sources said.

NO TENSION IN AL CAMP
The situation in the AL camp is completely different as their elections agents, unlike the BNP ones, face no security risks, party insiders said.

They are, however, facing some difficulties in finalising the agents' list as they need to have photographs of the agents.

"To manage the photographs of all the agents and assign them to the polling booths is a very tough job, but we are trying our best to complete the procedure," an AL leader, engaged in the party's election overseeing activities, told The Daily Star.

Sources said the party may appoint Abdullah Abu, Dhaka metropolitan public prosecutor, as the chief election officer who will monitor and give instructions to all agents.

The list of polling agents will be finalised by today and there will be backup agents for necessary replacements, according to AL's Deputy Office Secretary Mrinal Kanti Das.

The party sources said the list will be submitted to the presiding officers, instead of the returning officers, in the morning of the voting day.

HASINA, KHALEDA TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCES
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to hold a press conference at Gono Bhaban at 6:00pm today.

Besides speaking on her latest visit to Indonesia, she is expected to talk about BNP chief Khaleda Zia's campaign for the city elections.
Khaleda too will address a press conference at her Gulshan office at 2:00pm today. She is likely to instruct BNP leaders and activists to remain vigilant at every polling centre till vote counting ends, said party insiders.

The BNP chief refrained from electioneering yesterday, following the Election Commission's notice asking her not to campaign with motorcade and processions as it obstructs traffic movement.

Mayor and councillor hopefuls wrap up their 16-day campaign at midnight today in the three city corporations that will go to polls on Tuesday. They are likely to carry out vigorous last-minute campaigns today to woo voters.