Campaign for Narayanganj City Corporation elections begins

For the first time, the voting for electing a mayor will be held on party lines. Residents will vote on Dec 22 to choose their next mayor among seven candidates in the fray.

Polls officials have cleared 156 candidates for councillor elections while another 37 will contest for the reserved women councillors.

All eyes are set on the mayor candidates nominated by arch-rivals, the Awami League and the BNP.

Selina Hayat Ivy

Shakhawat Hossain Khan

The ruling party has nominated incumbent mayor Selina Hayat Ivy, who was elected in 2011 to become the first female mayor in Bangladesh.

She will contest the elections with the Awami League's symbol 'boat'.

"Will accept the people's verdict," Ivy told the media on Monday as she hit the campaign trail after officially being allotted the symbol.

The BNP has put up Sakhawat Hossain Khan, lawyer for a plaintiff in the sensational seven-murder cases, as its mayor candidate.

A former president of the Narayanganj Bar Association, Khan's symbol is the 'paddy sheaf,' the BNP's symbol.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Khan said he believes the people will vote for 'a change', if a free and fair election is held.

The remaining five mayor candidates are Mahbubur Rahman of the Biplobi Workers Party, Kamal Pradhan of the Liberal Democratic Party, Masum Billah of the Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Rashed Ferdous of the Bangladesh Kalyan Party and Mufti Ezharur Huq of the Islami Oikya Jote.

NCC polls at a glimpse

· 27 general and nine reserved seat councillors will be elected with mayor.

· A total 479,392 registered voters – 241,514 males and 237,878 females. The number of voters was 75,000 more than the last NCC polls.

· There will be 163 polling centres with 1,217 polling stations.

· A total 163 presiding officers, 1,217 assistant presiding officers and 2,434 polling officers will be on duty.

Candidates were allotted their poll symbols at a makeshift office of the returning officer set up at the Narayanganj Club amid strict confidentiality.

Activists and supporters thronged the road outside and took out a procession after the symbols were allotted.

Ivy was seen waving to her supporters from a motorcade at that time.

Jatiyo Samajtantrik Dal (JaSaD), a member of the Awami League-led 14-party alliance, had nominated Moslem Uddin to run in the mayoral race.

Moslem withdrew his candidacy complying with the decision of the alliance.

The candidate by the Bangladesh Kalyan party, part of the BNP-led 20-party alliance, claimed there was a “lack of coordination within the alliance” while he spoke to reporters after being allotted the symbol ‘wrist watch’.

“A lack of coordination exists within the 20-Party alliance and Kalyan Party’s general secretary is responsible for this,” he said.

“He wants to harm the alliance, the party and me,” he added.

“I respect that the 20-Party alliance is supporting BNP's candidate. However, those who were supposed to implement this decision were not sincere enough and they have not contacted us, nor did the BNP-backed candidate.”