Candidates busy with last time preparations as poll campaign ends

After completing the 18-day long marathon election campaign the candidates of the 12th parliamentary elections and their supporters are now passing busy time for the last minutes preparatory works for polls.

Local leader of Awami League and also the Ward Councilor of DNCC ward no 34 Sheikh Mohammad Hossain Khokon told the Views Bangladesh that there is a lot of preparatory work for the polling day and they will complete those tasks in the two days remaining before the voting day.

“We don’t want to leave any scope for our rival candidates. Dhaka-13 is always supported AL backed candidates and we hope that the same support will continue this time as well,” he added.

According to the voters of different areas in Dhaka, the AL candidates launched exceptional campaign plans ahead of the polling day and they would make all out arrangements to ensure voters presence at polling stations on January 7.

Rebeka Sultana, a private school teacher in Mohammadpur area got surprised when she received a phone call from Jahangir Kabir Nanak on Wednesday. Urging the call receiver to cast her vote for Nanak, the incumbent MP also requested her to go to the polling station on January 7.

In another part of the capital city, Murad Hossain, a voter in Bagbari area fallen under jurisdiction of Dhaka 14, even got more surprise as the voter token provided by the supporters of the Awami League nominated candidate Jubo League General Secretary Md Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil which was out of his expectations.

“The voter slip contains a barcode. And after scanning it everyone is getting his voter information. The innovativeness in the AL campaign is really impressive this year,” he said, adding that the election song of the political party launched in 2018 was a very impressive one. This year they made four songs including the previous one.

A number of voters from different parts of the capital could agree with Murad on the innovative election campaign by the AL candidates. Many said they did not get the call but received SMS seeking votes.

However, they observed that all the innovative ideas using digital means are coming from the ruling party candidates where the others are mainly following traditional means – holding procession, rally, pasting posters and so on. “The presence of the other party candidates or independent candidates are not significant,” they opined.

However, Nikhil who is contesting form Dhaka-14, is one of the nine new faces that Awami League nominated for the capital constituencies differ with the opinion.

He told the Views Bangladesh that a total of 14 candidates including six independent ones are contesting for the seat.

“I am expecting a healthy competition here and I hope a heavy voter presence in the vote centres under the constituency. So, we must get prepared for the voting day,” he added.

Meanwhile independent candidates from Dhaka-4 constituency Md Monir Hossain and Awlad Hossain expressed their satisfaction over the election environment they have seen during the campaign and said they are hoping to have good polling on January 7.

However, another candidate in the seat, Jatiya Party's Syed Abu Hossain Babla alleged that he merely found a ground for election campaign as the AL candidate and its independent candidates took over the field.

When contacted EC Director (Public Relations) Shariful Alam on Thursday afternoon said that EC is committed to ensure level playing field for all candidates and whenever a complaint for breaching electoral code of conducts came in front, they took actions.

The Chief Election commissioner on Thursday while briefing diplomats in the capital informed that they had received around 600 complaints during election campaign time starting from December 18. Almost all the complaints have been addressed, he added.

The EC director Sharif said that the 78 section of the Representation of People Order (RPO) 1972 stated that none would be allowed to call or join any public rally, street rally and procession in the electoral areas before and after 48 hours of the voting.

The voting will start from 8am on January 7 and will continue till 4pm on the day and so, the contestants must conclude their electioneering before 8am on Friday and could not seek vote using mike after this time.

The Election Commission (EC) put a ban on campaigning over the polls from 8am Friday. The campaign was started on December 18 with the allocation of the electoral symbols.

According to the EC officials, a total of 1,971 candidates, including 1,534 from 28 political parties and 437 independents, are contesting in the January 7 polls in 299 parliamentary seats.

Here is to mention that as a contestant of Naogaon-2 constituency died EC declared election schedule cancel for the seat and so the polls will be held in 299 seats instead of 300 across the country.

Armed forces have already been deployed across the country ahead of the national election. They will remain deployed from January 3 to January 10 to ensure peace and order before, during, and after the election day.

The army in coordination with the BGB and Coast Guard will perform duty in 47 bordering upazilas and four coastal upazilas respectively.
The EC secretary Jahanir Alam on January 3 in a press meet said that the Army will prevent any unruly situation occurring during the polling time.