NCC goes to polls today amid tight security

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FE Report All eyes are now on Narayanganj as the country's newly-formed city corporation goes for voting today (Sunday) amid tight security. The Election Commission (EC) has made all sorts of preparation, including sending necessary equipment like ballot boxes and electronic voting machines (EVMs) to the polling centres. Through the elections, the country will get a mayor and councillors of its seventh city corporation. A total of six candidates will be contesting for the mayoral post and 250 other aspirants for the post of councillors. After a last-minute drama over deployment of army, police and rapid action battalion (RAB) have been deployed around 163 polling centres in Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) to ensure smooth and fair elections. Over 430,000 people are expected to cast their votes to elect administrators of the city corporation through over 1,500 voting booths set up by the EC in 27 NCC wards. Ballot boxes, EVMs and other materials were sent to respective voting points in the morning while several teams of law enforcers were seen patrolling the NCC areas to maintain peace and order ahead of the much-talked-about elections. Meanwhile, the campaigning for the polls officially came to a close from Friday midnight after an air of uncertainties as the EC announced that no troops will be deployed for the elections. Panic-stricken voters have sought foolproof security arrangements from the authorities so that they can exercise their voting right peacefully. The EC has identified 126 polling centres as vulnerable to violence where tight security measures were taken, Returning Officer of Narayanganj Biswas Lutfur Rahman said, adding that voters will exercise their freedom of franchise through EVMs at 58 centres. "Eleven check posts have already been set up at various strategic points and the law enforcers have also conducted search operation at different key areas to make the polls free and fair," he added. Commander of RAB Legal & Media Wing M Sohail said some 1,400 RAB men were deployed in the NCC areas to bring back people's confidence over the polls. "This is the largest ever deployment of the elite force to cover any single election. We'll hold the polls peacefully at any cost," he said urging the voters to cast their votes without fear. Dog squads and bomb disposal units of RAB also reached NCC to check any possible criminal activities as feared by a key contestant of the polls. Taimur to stay in race UNB adds: BNP has asked its candidate Taimur Alam Khandaker to stay in the race for the Mayoral post in the elections although the party feels voting will not be free and fair in absence of the army. Addressing a press conference at the party central office Saturday morning, BNP vice-chairman Abdullah Al Noman wondered why the EC is holding the election when the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) himself alleged that the government has violated the Constitution by not cooperating with them in the deployment of the army. He mentioned that the CEC has said the commission will not take any responsibility if troubles break out during the elections. "If it is so, why the Commission is holding the election?" he asked. Noman said the commission has earlier sent a letter to the government seeking deployment of the army.