Candidates gear up campaigns

The Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) polls candidates have started election campaigns in full force in the run-up to the voting day on January 16.

Awami League candidate Selina Hayat Ivy expressed her confidence, saying voters would reelect her like the previous terms.

“Narayanganj dwellers are very sincere. None could influence them in 2011 and 2016. They could not be influenced in 2022 either,” she said while talking to journalists in front of the local Awami League office at Narayanganj Rail Gate area.

Before that, she paid rich tributes to the portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, marking the Homecoming Day of Father of the Nation.

Responding to a question of journalists about the comments of independent mayoral aspirant Taimur Alam Khandaker, she said, “The allegations Taimur brought against me are completely inappropriate as Shamim Osman has been making the same remarks against me for the past two years.”

“He used many indecent words against me, which were not right as he not only knows me but also knew my father very well,” she added.

Talking about Shamim Osman, she said, “I do not know whether he would run election campaigns in my favour. I do not need to know that as I have people’s mandate. The people of Narayanganj support me.”

“The media always remains busy with Shamim Osman’s coverage, but I am busy with my people. I have a fixed number of voters and will win by a large margin.”

On the other hand, independent candidate Taimur said during his electioneering that the people of Narayanganj had not seen their desired development yet.

He said the city dwellers were still facing many problems, including waterlogging and the mosquito menace, while holding tax and trade licence fees had been hiked.

“A pent-up aggression is prevailing among the people of Narayanganj, which they expressed by their vigorous support for my elephant election symbol. The city dwellers want a change,” he said.

“Supporters of the ruling party candidate are using the police to harass my followers, which indicates their fragile condition,” he alleged.

Meanwhile, Shamim said Taimur would not be able to defeat the Awami League candidate, adding even the BNP-Jamaat unit in Narayanganj does not have that capacity.

Talking to journalists at a press briefing at a community centre in Chasara, he said, “I become the centre of discussion whenever an election approaches. I want to know why this happens. My condition is like a poor housewife; everyone wants to claim me.”

“Elections cannot be controlled with threats or blame games. We have to leave all the previous arguments behind and reach every door for campaigns. Narayanganj is the den of Awami League. We will win certainly,” he added.

Around five lakh voters are expected to cast their votes in the polls to elect a city mayor, 27 ward councillors and nine women councillors from the reserved seats.

In 2016, Awami League mayor candidate Ivy won the NCC elections. She also won the race in the maiden NCC election held in 2011.