Aspirants start campaign for Barisal city corpn polls

Barisal town is getting warmed up as a good number of aspirant candidates from both ruling BNP and opposition Awami League have started campaign for the first city corporation polls, scheduled for March 20.

But the aspirant mayoral and ward commissioner candidates are in great anxiety over who will get the party nod. The candidates have already started moving from door to door seeking vote.

Political parties are not officially allowed to nominate candidates in local body polls, but they throw their full weight behind the selected party men.

The district BNP is in serious problem in selecting candidates for the lone post of mayor and 40 posts of ward commissioner, 10 of which are reserved for women.

Party sources said its city unit president and acting mayor AH Kamal hopes to get the party nod but his hobnobbing with Awami League during its rule and allegations of corruption are "obstacles". He held different posts like ward commissioner, chairman and administrator of the municipality for long 18 years.

Whip Mojibur Rahman Sarwar, who is also minister in charge of the district, is a mayoral aspirant. Some party sources said holding three posts will make him 'too powerful' in the district.

Ebadul Huq Chan, District BNP secretary and BCCI president, is another mayoral aspirant and started campaign long ago. He is known in the party rank and file as a dedicated politician and sufferer during AL rule.

BNP's ally Jamaat-e-Islami is far away in the mayoral race but are demanding a large number of ward commissioner posts, the sources said.

Awami League also has at least five aspirants for the post of mayor. They are former superintendent of police Mahbub (known as SP Mahbub), advocate Enayet Pir Khan, former MP candidate Shawkat Hossain Hiron, district AL Joint Secretary Monirul Ahasan Khan and Shahanara Abdullah, wife of former chief whip Abul Hasnat Abdullah.

Taking to this correspondent, sources in both the parties and many city dwellers said withdrawal of army will encourage many alleged criminals to run in the polls race.

February 23 is the last date for filing nomination paper, which will be scrutinised on 24 February. March 3 is the last date of withdrawal of candidature.