A Correspondent :
Mayoral candidates backed by the two major political parties ruling Awami League (AL) and opposition BNP have become active in the port city over the last couple of months to bag party blessings well before the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) polls expected to be held early next year.
A Commissioner of the Election Commission during his recent visit here declared that the CCC polls would be held in March or April, 2005.
Following the unofficial declaration, aspirant candidates of both the political camps have started drumming up their campaign to cast attention of the local voters as well as the decision makers of their respective political parties.
However, the tenure of incumbent Mayor M Manzurul Alam, the BNP-backed candidate who was elected the City Father in the last mayoral elections on June 17, 2010 beating the ruling AL-backed candidate ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, expires in July next year. A total of 41 ward councillors and 14 female councillors were also elected on the same eventful day.
Sources concerned said that BNP might stick to its earlier choice i.e., incumbent Mayor Manzurul Alam as he is currently the Advisor to the BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia. He was also the Acting Mayor during the previous tenure of the caretaker government for nearly two years.
Manzurul Alam has intensified his activities and regular meetings in different wards of the city. He is nowadays making personal visits to the Wards to supervise for himself the ongoing development projects in order to draw people’s attention.
Another aspirant from BNP is Mir Muhammad Nasiruddin, a former minister who was nominated as the Mayor when the party had won the general elections in 1991 and continued till February, 1994. In the election held on January 31 in 1994, Mir Nasir was defeated by AL-backed candidate ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury.
Other aspirants from BNP are Dr Shahadat Hussain, General Secretary of City BNP, Shamsul Alam, Treasurer of City BNP, and Kazi Akbar, President of Jatiyatabadi Sangskritik Sangstha (JASAS). The BNP candidates have already started maintaining liaison with the party high-ups in Dhaka.
From the ruling party AL, President of Chittagong City unit AL and former Mayor of CCC ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury remains the key aspirant for the Mayoral post this time too. Mohiuddin Chowdhury had been the City Father for three consecutive terms following election victories in 1994, 2000 and 2005.
As part of his campaign, Mohiuddin Chowdhury is organising regular meetings of the party in the name of different programmes to woo local voters and cast attention of those matters. He is also attending all functions and programmes regularly held in the city.
