EC assures peaceful GCC polls

A high-up official of the Election Commission (EC) said all necessary preparations have been completed to hold the elections to Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) on Tuesday (tomorrow) in a peaceful manner.

EC Secretary Helaluddin Ahmad said this to state-owned BSS on Monday, as per a report by the agency.

The elections will be held from 8 am to 4 pm without any break, he said, adding that general holiday has been announced on the day in the city corporation area.

According to Returning Officer’s office, a total of 345 candidates, including seven for mayoral post, 254 for councillor posts, 83 for reserved posts for women, are vying in the polls while 11,37,736 voters will exercise their franchises at 425 polling stations in 57 wards across the city corporation area.

The mayor candidates are ruling Awami League nominated Md Jahangir Alam, BNP nominated Hasan Uddin Sarker, Islami Oikkya Jote nominated Fazlur Rahman (Minar), Islami Andolan Bangladesh nominated Md Nasir Uddin, Bangladesh Islami Front nominated Md Jalal Uddin, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) nominated Md Ruhul Amin and independent candidate Farid Ahmed.

According to the EC, for the first time, the EC has taken an initiative to inform about the situation of polling stations immediately.

The presiding officers will inform the EC Secretariat about overall situation of their respective voting centres through SMS in every two hours.

The commission will take necessary measures on the basis of presiding officers SMS immediately, the EC source said.

Besides, EC teams in plainclothes will monitor the polling situation and activities of the election officials at every station.

They would interfere in the polls immediately, inform the Returning Officer (RO) and inform the EC, if any irregularities take place in the polling stations.

Returning Officer (RO) Rakib Uddin Mondol said all stuffs have already been reached their respective polling stations.

Three-tier security measures have been taken to ensure security during the election, Mondol said, adding that about 10,500 members of law enforcement agencies, including police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Ansar, have already been deployed in the city corporation area.

A total of 29 platoons of BGB, 58 teams of RAB, 57 mobile forces and 20 striking forces of police will perform their duties during the elections, he said.

Gazipur district Deputy Commissioner Dr Dewan mohammad Humayun Kabir said a total of 67 executive magistrates and 19 judicial magistrates will perform duties across the city corporation area from June 24 to 27.

Besides, all types of electoral campaign ended from Sunday midnight.