Chattogram city election begins amid enthusiasm and fear

Voting at the Chattogram City Corporation election has commenced from 8:00am today, Wednesday. Rather than speculating on who will win the election, discussions are revolving on how this election will be. This will become evident as the day unfolds.

There are 735 polling centres in this election, of which 429, that is 56 per cent, have been identified by the police as risk-prone.

On Tuesday, local Awami League leaders seemed confident that everything was in their ‘control’. On the other hand, BNP leaders seemed to be apprehensive as to whether they would be able to remain in the fray from start to end. As for the common people, they spoke about both enthusiasm regarding the election, as well as their fear of violence.

While there are seven contestants for the posts of mayor in the Chattogram City Corporation election, the main contest is between Awami League’s Rezaul Karim Chowdhury and BNP’s Shahadat Hossain. Both of them are first-time contenders for the mayoral office. So the people of the port city are to get a new mayor through these polls. The last Chattogram City Corporation election was held in 2015.

Awami League leaders have said that they want to win the mayoral post at any cost. Committees at several levels have been formed with leaders of the main party and its fronts and affiliated organisations in order to manage the election. They have even analysed the voters’ list to determine who are likely to vote for Awami League, who are BNP supporters and who are neutral voters. Now their plans are to be implemented accordingly.

Meanwhile, BNP leaders have said that Awami League this time did not nominate the immediate past mayor AJM Nasir Uddin. There is conflict within the ruling party over councilor posts. BNP feels it may benefit from Awami League’s inner conflicts. They said the voters must be brought to the centres and they must remain in the fray till the end to ensure their votes. Agents must remain in the centres. They have planned to bring their voters to the centres. But their main anxiety is how far their people will be able to evade being nabbed and how they can ensure that they agents will be able to remain in the polling centres. They will try to remain alert till the end.

Voting will take place for 39 councillor posts of Chattogram City’s 41 wards. Of this, rebel ruling party candidates are contesting against candidates of their own party Awami League in 32 wards. Two have been killed in clashes between the supporters of the Awami League nominated candidates and that those of the rebel candidates. There remains fear of violence on the day of the election too.

Speaking to the media at the election commission office in Agargaon, Dhaka, on Tuesday, senior secretary Md Alamgir said he hoped for a good election in Chattogram. He said, “All possible security measures have been taken. Everyone will be able to vote, following the health guidelines.”

Fears of arrest

Opposition party BNP has been alleging that their activists, supporters and polling agents have been arrested in all of the elections being held recent times. This continues during the Chattogram City Corporation election. The party alleges that over the past week, 263 of the leaders and activists have been arrested. The arrested include agents of mayoral candidate Shahadat Hossain and the party’s councilor candidates. From Monday night till Tuesday afternoon, 200 persons were arrested, said BNP.

BNP’s mayor candidate Shahadat Hossain’s chief polling agent and Chattogram city BNP’s member secretary Abul Hashem, speaking to Prothom Alo, said that the party men were unable to stay at home in fear. Police were raiding their homes. He apprehended that more would be arrested Tuesday night.

According to law enforcement sources, since the campaigning began till Sunday, seven cases had been filed against BNP men in the port city for election violence. Over 300 persons have been accused in these cases. Arrests were also being made in older cases.

BNP-backed councilor candidate of Chattogram city’s South Pahartali ward 1, Sirajul Islam, told Prothom Alo over the past week none of his people had been able to stay at home. He was concerned as to whether the agents would be able to go to the polling centres.

Chattogram Metropolitan Police commissioner Saleh Mohammad Tanveer, speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, said that the police were not harassing anyone because of the election. He said that routine arrests were being made against those facing cases.

Election officials apprehensive too

There have been 735 presiding officers, 1,470 assistant presiding officers and 2,940 polling officers appointed for the city election. The election officials will pick up the election equipment and materials under police guard from four areas. Prothom Alo spoke to 12 officials who had collected the items from the MA Aziz Stadium gymnasium. Almost all of them expressed their anxiety.

They said the law enforcement was basically in charge of preventing unwanted persons from entering the voting centres. However, in recent times it was noted that they did not give much importance to the presiding officers and this created disorder. The councilor candidates’ people got involved in clashes.

A presiding officer of a centre in Firingi Bazar, on condition of anonymity, said his centre was next to the home of a councilor and so he was somewhat anxious.

Both sides vocal about outsiders

Both Awami League and BNP have brought about allegations of outside elements being brought into the port city. BNP’s Shahadat Hossain said that Awami League has brought in its men from the surrounding districts and upazilas in order to take control of the voting centres.

BNP has drawn up a list of how many outsiders have been brought in from which districts and upazilas they have come. Party leaders say around 100 outsiders may be deployed at each polling centre. However, till 8:00pm Tuesday night, no formal complaint in this regard had been lodged with the election commission.

Awami League’s central organizing secretary SM Kamal Hossain, speaking to newsperson, said that BNP was making these allegations to render the election controversial. He said they were bringing in armed cadres of Shibir and BNP to create controversy in the election.

Local political sources said in the 2015 city polls, large numbers of people were brought from outside and stationed at the centres. Almost all of them had been mayor candidate AJM Nasir’s men.

Law enforcement prepared

The police have identified 429 of the 735 voting centres, that is, 56 per cent, as risk-prone. In each risk-prone centre, six armed police under an SI and four police in the normal centres will be deployed. There will also be 12 ansar members at each centre.

The police have said that 9000 member of the police force will be on duty in and around the polling centres. They will be joined by 1 platoons of BGB and 41 RAB teams will be on patrol. Also, 79 executive magistrates and 20 judicial magistrates will be on duty.

CMP commissioner Saleh Mohammad Tanveer, speaking to the media at his office on Tuesday, said. “We will not look left or right. Anyone disrupting law and order will be arrested, regardless of they are of any party or outsiders.”

Awami League strategy

Sources within local Awami League have said that certain party men have been selected to ensure that the votes are cast in favour of the boat (AL election symbol) at the various centres. These include leaders and activists of Jubo League, Swechchhashebok League, Chhatra League and other affiliated organisations. Their task is to surround the centres and establish control on phases.

Two leaders involved in the process, on condition of anonymity, told Prothom Alo, the party decision makers are to explain the final plans on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

BNP strategy

BNP leaders have said as in all recent elections, Awami League will want to keep full control of all the centres. BNP has taken up an alternative strategy in this regard. Two leaders of the party’s election management committee said that the ‘sheaf of rice’ (BNP’s election symbol) polling agents are targets of the ruling party and police. So the main work force will not be sent to the centres. They will work on sending the voters to the centres to cast their votes. The more voter turnout there will be, the more BNP will benefit. If the voters go the centres but are unable to cast their votes, the blame will fall on Awami League. Agents of BNP-backed councillor candidates have also be instructed to play a role in preventing rigging and other irregularities.

Election trivia

There are seven mayoral candidates, 168 general councilor candidates and 57 councillor candidates for the seats reserved for women, contesting in these elections. The number of voters stands at 19,38,709. These include 992,033 men and 946,673 women. There are 4,886 voting booths in 735 centres.

Chattogram City election returning officer Md Hasanuzzaman is hopeful that the voters will be able to go to the centres peacefully. He told newsmen, the voters will be able to go to the centres, vote for the candidates of their choice and return home. A festive environment will prevail.

This report appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ayesha Kabir