Himu's Window

  Anwar Ali and Abu Kalam, Rajshahi An enthusiastic Amjad Hossain headed out to cast his vote at the Sabitri Girls' High School polling centre at Ghoramara of Rajshahi city with his shiny new digitised national identity card (NID). No sooner had he reached the centre at around 11:00am, than his bubble burst. He was told by the polling officer that the voter registration number, not the NID number, is required to cast vote. It took an hour and a half for this elderly person to go home and get back to the polling centre with the voter registration number. He had to spend the next half hour in the queue again. After all this, who would have thought that more shocking discoveries awaited the 52-year-old? After Amjad's voter registration number was verified, he found it hard to believe that someone else had already cast his vote. "How could the polling officer allow someone else to cast my vote when there's my photograph printed on the new voter roll?" h

Violating the rules for poster size, a Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) councillor aspirant, top, hangs posters printed on plastic paper. An RCC mayor candidate uses large replicas of his electoral symbol while another goes even further by using coloured ones. Photo: STAR Anwar Ali, Rajshahi Campaign expenditure of most mayoral and councillor candidates, especially of politically nominated ones, doubled the limits by the time electioneering in Rajshahi metropolis ended at zero hour Sunday.The mayor hopefuls in Rajshahi City Corporation were set to spend Tk 5 lakh and councillor aspirants Tk 1 lakh during campaigns.But reports say mayor candidates spent even Tk 12 lakh to Tk 20 lakh each, while several councillor aspirants spent at least Tk 5 lakh.Speaking anonymously, a number of candidates' polling agents admitted the fact and said real expenditure would be even higher due to rampant distribution of money among the poor voters.Many voters also believe though the spending was muc

  Anwar Ali, Rajshahi Pro-BNP mayoral candidates in Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) election are unlikely to achieve any gains despite Jamaat's last moment support due to widening infighting between them. The split between the groups loyal to jailed mayor Mizanur Rahman Minu and former BNP lawmaker Kabir Hossain was created over the selection of acting mayor Rejaunnabi Dudu and city Jubo Dal President Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul as mayoral candidates Apparently, Kabir-group is supporting BNP-adherent Dudu while Minu's group is backing Bulbul. But, a large section of Minu's group has reportedly developed opinion against Bulbul widening the crisis further. They alleged that those who were engaged in tender vandalism and corruption during BNP-Jamaat coalition rule and responsible for Minu's jail, are also campaigning for Bulbul. Although Minu gave his support to Bulbul from jail, but many of his followers said Minu does not want the emergence of any other lead

Anwar Ali, Rajshahi Even though the electorate expect a clear stance on the militancy issue from the mayoral candidates of Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC), the candidates, however, avoided talking about it fearing it would affect their vote tally. The election campaigns ended yesterday midnight ahead of the start of polling at 8:00am August 4. Campaign sources said the candidate supported by the Awami League AHM Khairuzzaman Liton believes it is better not to talk about the militancy issue at the local government election since he expects to draw large number of votes from BNP-Jamaat supporters. These votes could swing if he talks too much against militancy, an issue that plagued the region during the BNP-Jamaat regime. The BNP-backed candidate Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul felt relieved as no other candidates discussed the issue which was an "embarrassment" to the BNP-Jamaat government, party insiders said. Other candidates thought talking about the militancy issue w