Elections to 61 municipalities of different districts are going to be held on Saturday (January 16). However, the electronic voting machines (EVM) will be used in 29 municipalities, while traditional ballot papers in the remaining 32 municipalities in the elections.
Meanwhile, the Shailkupa municipality voters in Jhenaidah are going to cast their votes through electronic voter machine (EVM) for the first time on January 16 (Saturday) in the second phase of municipality elections of 2021.
A total of 28, 632 voters including 14,519 female were enlisted in the voter list prepared by election commission (EC). They declared all the 15 centres most important, said source related to the office of the returning officer (RO) of the polls.
Four candidates including the incumbent mayor, also ruling party’s boat symbolic candidate Kazi Asharful Azam are contesting in the polls as the position of the mayor. 12 women have been contesting for the women seats, while 36 men are contesting for the ward level positions as councilors, the sources said.
Two terms elected mayor having boat symbol, Kazi Asharful Azam declaring his 16 point election pledges, said he will reduce the amount of all taxes, issue citizen certificates free of cost, make the municipality free from terrorism, drug and corruption, reduce license fees for three wheelers, make all the road metal and renovated faster, construct new roads, drainage and ensure road light at all the electric poles. The election pledges also mentioned establishing educational institution for the children providing stipends for the poor children, in the municipal area.
Immediately expelled from the ruling party Ruling Awami League, rebel Toyebur Rahman Khan, contesting against the boat symbolic candidate Kazi Ashraful Azam, said Azam’s supporters have been violating the electoral code of conduct everyday and assaulting his men and vandalizing publicity instruments round the clock when ever his men moves public. When Toyebur Rahman did not withdraw his candidature for the position after repeated advices of the party leaders, he was expelled finally from all positions in the AL, declared he was fighting as an independent candidate. It has busted direct conflict in the party and some influential leaders in the ruling party virtually supporting him from various corners. Grouping in the party was almost clear to the party, its other concern organization and people which became talk of the town in Shailkupa as well as in the district.
Shailkupa municipality ex chairman Khalilur Rahman, elected the chairman for continuous two terms earlier, has been contesting the polls as the candidate from the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). He has been fighting with the symbol sheaf of paddy. As the local leadership of the opposition was virtually divided, Khalil is not in a well position as a group of BNP men are thinking otherwise, made the situation cloudy..
Khalilur Rahman said he would win the seat if the voters are not barred anyway on the way to the polling centres in time as his party has voter bank in Shaikupa when he had do-ne a lot of development work fir the municipal people since inception of the municipality. Local administration along with the returning officer had assured him of all out cooperation to maintain law and order, Khalilur Rahman added.
Abu Jafar from the Jatiya Party (JP) has been contesting for the mayoral position with the party symbol Langal.
Office sources said training for the presiding, assistant presiding officers and polling poling officers will be completed by January 13, while they will go for Mock Voting at the centres during the office hours on January 14 so that the voters staying in respective centres can be trained physically how to cast their votes.
District election officer (DEO) in Jhenaidah, also Returning Officer (RO) of Shailkupa municipality polls 2021, Mohammad Rokanuzzaman when contacted said as the EVM was introduced for the municipal voters for the first time, they are going to conduct mass publicity through cable networks abide training so that the voters staying in respective homes might witness the voting method which will reduce the misuse of the votes as their desires.
He said huge policemen, border guard Bangladesh personnel and Ansar and village defense party (VDP) personnel were deployed to make the election. The election commission (EC) will show zero tolerance in maintaining law and order in any situation during pre polls and post polls hours ensuring peaceful environment. The EVM will ease the sufferings of the people and help declare the results immediate after completion of casting the votes in scheduled time, Returning Officer said.
