Voting starts for Comilla City Corporation elections

Voting for the Comilla City Corporation has started even as police had cordoned off a suspected militant hideout at Kotbari area on the outskirts of the city.

More than 200,000 voters are exercising their franchise to elect their representatives in the polls, which are seen as a test for the KM Nurul Huda-led Election Commission.

Officials said that polling started at 103 voting centres at 8am and will end at 4am.

Long queue of voters were seen at several polling centres in the morning while no untoward incident has been reported from any part of the city.

The BNP, which was critical about the last EC, hopes that the Huda-led EC will fulfil public expectations.

Polls officials and law-enforcing agencies have said the entire city has been covered by a security blanket to facilitate a peaceful election.

Returning Officer Rakib Uddin Mandal, in  a media briefing on Wednesday, warned against irregularities and threatened tough action against those trying to fish in troubled waters.

"We will use whatever means is necessary to prevent disorder," he added.

As many as 4,700 members of law-enforcing agencies have been deployed in the city. Border Guard Bangladesh platoons and the Rapid Action Battalion units have been kept as strike force.

Nine judicial and 27 executive magistrates will cover the polling zone.

The polls at a glance

>> This is the second polls to the Comilla City Corporation after it was formed in 2011 by merger of the two municipalities;

>>The BNP has floated incumbent Mayor Monirul Haque Shakku as its candidate;

>> The ruling Awami League has put up Anjum Sultana Sima, whose father Afzal Khan lost to Shakku in the first polls in 2012.

>>Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal's (JSD) Shirin Akter and independent candidate retired army major Mamunur Rashid are also contesting for mayor. 

>>The number of candidates vying for 27 ward councillor posts and nine councillor posts reserved for women stands at 154.

>> A total of 2,07,566 voters are eligible to vote at 628 polling booths in 103 centres.