With local political and development issues alongside national ones looming overhead, many Sylhet city dwellers apprehend that victory for a third time will not be smooth sailing for outgoing mayor Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran.
The Sylhet City Corporation polls are scheduled for June 15. In the last one in 2008, Kamran won by 83,000 votes against his closest contender.
Though the Awami League Sylhet city unit president is being backed by the ruling 14-party alliance, Jatiya Party is yet to formally declare backing Kamran, said JP district unit President Gias Uddin Ahmed yesterday.
A faction of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, a component of the alliance, has also stated to refrain from backing Kamran.
After the 18-party opposition alliance decided to back mayoral candidate Ariful Haque Chowdhury, a BNP Central Committee member, four other candidates backed down.
They are BNP city unit Vice-President Nasim Hossain and General Secretary Abdul Quaiyum Jalali, Swechhasebak Dal central committee Vice-President Shamsuzzaman and Jamaat-e-Islami city Ameer Ehsanul Mahbub Zobayer.
City dwellers apprehend that supporters of all but Shamsuzzaman would vote for Ariful. Shamsuzzaman has had a longstanding rivalry with Ariful and he has refrained from campaigning for him.
Meanwhile, recent local issues like violence centring the burning of MC College's hostel and armed clashes between pro-ruling student organisation Bangladesh Chhatra League and youth organisation Jubo League adversely affected Kamran's image, apprehends city dwellers.
Ariful intends to capitalise on the outgoing mayor's failure in resolving the city's longstanding problems including waterlogging, traffic congestion and land grabbing.
National issues, like the one centring Hefajat-e Islam, are also working against Kamran. The 18-party alliance men are keeping regular contact with Hefajat men apparently to win them over.
Hefajat Sylhet city unit Convener Shahinur Pasha Chowdhury yesterday claimed that Hefajat men, though apolitical, would surely support Ariful.