66 in race in Phulbari municipal polls

Sixty-six candidates including 10 persons for the mayoral post are finally running in the election race at Phulbari municipality, Phulbari Upazila Election Office sources said.
A total of 70 candidates including 12 for the mayoral post, 12 for three reserved seats for women and 46 for nine councillor posts had earlier submitted their nomination papers.
However, mayrol candidate Rafiqul Islam withdrew his candidature yesterday, the last day for withdrawal, while candidature of three candidates including one for the mayoral post was cancelled during scrutiny earlier.
Among the mayoral candidates are -- Abdullahel Mustaq (senior vice-president of pourasava BNP), Md Kabir Hossain (ex-joint convener of pourasava BNP), Mujibur Rahman, the incumbent chairman of Phulbari municipality, also president of pourasava BNP, Phulbari upazila Awami League (AL) Organizing Secretary Golam Kibria, Md Nurul Islam (vice-president of upazila AL), Yunus Ali, Shafiqul Islam and Omar Faruq.
Election symbols will be distributed among the candidates today, election office sources said.
In nine wards under Phulbari municipality, there are 17,266 voters including 8,648 male and 8,618 female people. Some 5,000 voters decreased in the fresh voter list prepared this year.