A Correspondent:
Barishal: A total of 1500 Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and other election materials reached 126 polling stations ahead of the Barishal City Corporation election to be held today.
The presiding officers received the EVMs from Shilpakala Academy in the city on Sunday.
According to Election Commission, 126 presiding officers will perform their duties at 894 polling booths while the number of assistant presiding officers is 894 and polling officers is 1788.
Returning officer Humayun Kabir said the election environment is cent percent fair. He urged voters to go to their respective polling stations to cast their vote.
About 4500 members of law enforcement agencies, 10 platoons of BGB, 30 executive magistrates, and 10 judicial magistrates will perform duty during the polls.
Seven candidates are vying for the mayoral post while 119 councilors for general post and 42 for re-served posts in the polls.
A total of 2,76,298 voters—1,37,489 male and 1,38, 809 female—will exercise their franchise.
Awami League mayoral candidate Abul Khair Abdullah (Khokon Seniabat) will cast vote at Government Barisal College center on Kalibari Road, Jatiya Party’s candidate Iqbal Hossain Taposh will cast vote at Syed Abdul Mannan DDF Alim Madrasa centre on Gorsthan Road, Islami Andilon’s Mufti Syed Mu-hammad Faizul Karim at A Rob Serniabat Secondary School center in the city.
Meanwhile, Engineer Iqbal Hossian Taposh, a JaPa-backed mayoral candidate, alleged that the ruling party men are involved in making a blueprint to influence the votes.
Speaking at a press conference at the Chief Election Office at 10 am he said “In 2018, there was a drama of naked vote snatching and vote stealing in the Barishal City Corporation election. The party that was in power then is participating in the polls. From their activities, I feel that they want to make the June 12 election the same as the 2018 election.”
The Chief Election Commissioner came to Barisal and said that a level playing field will be created but there is no level playing field here yet, he said adding that the administration has failed to show their neutrality.
“They said that there will be no outsiders in Barishal on the election day, but we have repeatedly said that Barisal is full of outsiders. They said there would be no outsiders in Barishal from June 11, but in reality we have seen in all the hotels and motels in the city.”
Taposh also alleged that the intruders with the help of Awami league are distributing money.
The ruling party men are violating the electoral code of conduct, he said.
Awami League mayoral candidate Khokon Serniabat expressed hope that BNP supporters will also vote for him on the question of development.
He said this while replying to a question of journalists at a press conference at AL candidate’s main elec-tion office on Sadar Road in the city at 1:30 pm on Sunday.
Serniabat said, “If I win, I have assured to develop Barishal. That’s why I believe people will vote for me. At the same time, BNP supporters also think that if they vote for me, the people of the city will get services. All people, irrespective of party affiliation, will vote for me spontaneously.”
