Campaign starts today
Campaigning for the Narayanganj city corporation elections begins today with the candidates allowed to make door-to-door visits for votes.
The candidates, however, are restricted to go for any organised rallies, meetings or showdowns.
Violation of the rule may result in cancellation of nomination of a candidate and put him or her in jail for six months to up to two years, said Farhad Hossain, assistant returning officer and district election officer.
Eight candidates are competing for the mayor's office along with 247 for the councillor posts and 56 for the posts of reserved female councillors in the October 30 polls.
Of the mayor aspirants, former Awami League (AL) lawmaker Shamim Osman, former mayor of now-defunct Narayanganj municipality Selina Hayat Ivy and district BNP president Taimur Alam Khandoker have so far been the talk of the town.
Since Shamim Osman and Selina Ivy are both from the ruling AL, the party high command has decided to support neither of them in the polls which in fact, delighted the campaigners of both the contestants.
The decision came after AL failed to convince either of the two to keep from contesting the elections and the party got divided over who to support, according to party sources.
However, senior leaders of the party observed that if neither of the two aspirants withdraws his or her candidacy by Wednesday, the last day to do so, it may split pro-AL voters and party supporters, activists and leaders in Narayanganj.
The other mayor candidates for the district are Habibullah Kanchpuri, ousted president of Awami Olama League, SM Akram, convener of district AL, Atiqur Rahman Nannu Munshi, Atiqulla Jibon and Sharif Muhammad.
Over four lakh voters are entitled to exercise their franchise to elect a mayor, 27 councillors for as many general wards and nine councillors for as many wards reserved for women.
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