Lofty pledges as electioneering heats up in city

As just 11 days left for the voting, all the mayoral and councillor contenders of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) carried out electioneering in the city and tried to woo voters with lofty promises, reports news agency UNB.

The ruling party Awami League candidates are urging voters to cast votes for them for maintaining the pace of development in the city while the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's contestants are trying to convince the voters by depicting failures of the government and the previous city authorities in ensuring civic amenities and good governance.

AL’s DNCC mayoral candidate Atiqul Islam called upon the voters at an election rally on Beraid Muslim High School grounds in the city’s Badda area to reelect him as a mayor. He pledged to ensure the development of their roads and resolve various problems.

He also made various promises to develop the area, including widening roads and taking steps to remove waterlogging.

Later, he carried out the electioneering in different areas of Badda and sought votes for the 'Boat', the election symbol of Awami League.

BNP’s mayoral candidate of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) election Tabith Awal came under attack after he started electioneering in the city’s Gabtoli area on Tuesday.

Tabith alleged that Mujib Sarwar, an Awami League-backed commissioner candidate from ward no. 9, led the attack. However, Tabith continued his electioneering even after the attack.

He also said the ruling party men carried out the attack as they have become unnerved seeing the mass wave created in favour of ‘Sheaf of Paddy’, the election symbol of BNP. “We didn’t launch a counter-attack as we want to maintain peace.”

Tabith said though he sustained physical injuries and pain, he is still very strong morally. “They won’t be able to suppress us by carrying out attacks as we continue to conduct campaign peacefully.”

Earlier at a really the BNP candidate urged the voters to give the government a befitting reply through ballots against its ‘misrule, vote-rigging and failure to check dengue outbreak' that claimed many lives last year.

Awami League’s Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) polls candidate Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh conducted a hectic campaign in the old part of Dhaka today and urged the voters to elect him mayor for the development of the city.

He claimed that that existing DSCC mayor Sayeed Khokon has extended his support to him though he cannot conduct the campaign for him due to the election code of conduct.

During his electioneering at Roysaheb Bazar, Taposh said their party’s leaders and activists are unitedly conducting election campaign in favour of him.

Rejecting BNP leaders’ comment that a mass wave has created in favour of Sheaf of Paddy, he said the city dwellers are in favour of AL candidates for the sake of development. “BNP has taken part in the polls as part of their movement and to free their leader (Khaleda Zia) not for development of the city. We’re working to serve people and develop the city.”

Taposh said BNP is illogically opposing the EC’s decision of using the EVMs in the polls while people have warmly accepted the technology.

He also promised he will work for the restoration of Dhaka’s tradition and turn it into a beautiful, dynamic, well-governed and developed city with various effective plans if he is elected mayor.

Taposh said he is getting an overwhelming response from voters, and he believes that people will cast their votes in favour of him on 1 February.

Meanwhile, BNP’s DSCC mayoral candidate Ishraque Hossain carried out a campaign in the city’s Demra and Jatrabari areas.

He started his campaign on the 12th day on Tuesday from in front of Hossain Plaza in Demra area together with BNP leaders and activists, including its standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain.

Speaking at a wayside rally there, Ishraque urged voters to give their verdict in favour of him to turn Dhaka into a liveable city with all civic amenities.

He said people are now united against the ‘misrule and corruption’ of the current government, and they will cast their votes for 'Sheaf of Paddy’ foiling all plots.

Referring to the attack on Tabith, he said the ruling party will not be able to suppress people by carrying out attacks and issuing threats.