By-polls for the post of Shailkupa upazila parishad chairman is going to be held in the upazila of Jhenaidah tomorrow (Sunday).
However, there were no election mode since submission of nomination papers except the activists and supporters of AL candidate Shefali Begum moving here and there conducting campaign seeking votes in favour of boat.
The chairman post of Shailkupa upazila parishad was declared vacant when its chairman Shikder Mosharraf Hossain died of cardiac arrest on November 3. A total of 2,88,952 voters including 1,44,874 women are going to cast their votes on February 28 to elect the chairman through the bi-polls.
On the other hand, two other candidates Advocate Humayun Babar Feroz of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and independent candidate Anisur Rahaman claimed, they are almost refrained from conducting election campaigns and have been contacting voters over cellular phones.
Independent candidate Anisur Rahman when contacted said, his men were assaulted and publicity mikes were vandalized by AL men time and again. Even his life was under threat. Finding no other alternative, he is refrained from doing election campaign to save his life.
BNP candidate Advocate Humayun Babar Feroz also said there is no election environment. The supporters of the AL candidate have been chasing BNP men round the clock so that they cannot conduct any election campaign. If there were a level fields, the people irrespective of party, gender and believe would have cast their votes for him, he added.
The lawyer complained that Jhenidah-1 MP Abdul Hyee, who is also the president of Jhenidah district AL along with his men with motorcades have been conducting election campaigns for the AL candidate ignoring the election code of conduct. He had informed the matter to EC and other government sectors against this sort of unethical activities. He has also urged upon the election commissions and local administrations to ensure fair and free vote environment, he said.
Matiar Rahman, Convenor of Shailkupa AL unit and the spokesperson of AL in the upazila parishad bi-polls when contacted, denied the allegations made by BNP candidate Advocate Humayun Babar Feroz and independent candidate Anisur Rahman. He said, “As they have no such votes they are contacting people over phones seeking votes”.
To make the bi-polls a success, they have reorganized the people to avoid factional clash and opinion. Now every AL men and front organisation activists have been working joining hands. The activists and supporters including lawmaker Abdul Hyee, Jhenidah AL General Secretary Saidul Karim Mintu have been conducting election campaign and urging people to cast votes for boat, Matiar Rahman added.
Reurning Officer, also district Election Officer in Jhenidah Mohammad Rokanuzzaman when contacted said no candidates had filed any complaint against the AL candidate or her supporters so far. He is expecting to conduct a free and fair bi-polls so that each and every voter could cast their vote without any hassle, returning officer said.
