Himu's Window

Awami League lawmaker Abdul Quddus, left, receiving a gold replica of his party's electoral symbol, boat, from Shamsul Haque Sheikh, a candidate of upazila parishad polls in Gurudaspur, Natore. Photo: STAR The Election Commission (EC) yesterday decided to warn an Awami League (AL) lawmaker for violating the electoral code of conduct of the upazila parishad elections in its efforts to refrain MPs from influencing the crucial polls to local government bodies. The EC will soon issue a letter to AL lawmaker Abdul Quddus of Natore warning him of his reported bid to influence the upazila elections. Quddus received around 80 miniature gold-made boats, AL electoral symbol, and campaigned for an upazila polls contestant.  Election Commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain labelled the activity of Quddus unethical and said it was a clear attempt to influence the upazila elections.  Meanwhile, the EC yesterday warned Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) Mayor Khairuzzaman Liton for violating electoral c

Unidentified criminals killed Tanore upazila Jubo Dal convener Matiur Rahman Babu on Wednesday night at Bagdhani of Paba upazila of the district. Police recovered the body yesterday morning from Bagdhani Sashanghat near Barnoi river.  There were injury marks on various parts of the body, said police. Babu (38), also a mathematics teacher at Tanore Women's Degree College, left for home at Sadhur Mor in Rajshahi city on a bike at around 10:30pm after participating in a upazila poll campaign for local BNP leaders, said his fellow party activists. Police suspected that the criminals intercepted him at Kalitala and beat him to death there. Later, they dragged the body to Sashanghat, some 500 yards from the spot. The criminals also took away Babu's motorbike and two mobile phones.  "It was a planned murder and part of the on-going tortures on BNP activists across the country," said Babu's father Mahtab Uddin, president of Kolma union BNP. Babu's brother Hazrat Ali f

Rajshahi Mayor Khairuzzaman Liton and Bagha upazila chairman candidate Mizanur Rahman Minu jointly hold an umbrella at Bagha High School ground on Tuesday as Liton calls upon the audience to vote for Mizan, an Awami League leader.Photo: STAR Rajshahi City Corporation Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton has continued campaigns in favour of Awami League leaders who are contesting in the upazila elections. Such act by the mayor, who bears the status of a state minister, flouts directives from the Election Commission that served a notice on Sunday asking ministers, state ministers and persons holding similar statuses to refrain from taking part in upazila election campaign. The mayor is found visiting the upazilas everyday after his office hours to introduce local AL leaders contesting as candidates for the upazila election and seek votes for them, although the upazila elections are held non-party basis. Mayor Liton in a large public meeting at Hatgangopara High School in Bagmara upazila yesterda

Urdu, the language that Bangladeshis fought as an imposition during the Pakistan era, has staged a comeback in the country's political discourse. Urdu posters and pamphlets were distributed   for the first time   since independence in 1971 by contending parties in last month's ninth   general elections   to woo the non-Bengali voters. The   Daily Star   newspaper, in a report from Nilphamari, said that candidates for the posts of chairman and vice-chairman in Saidpur upazila (sub-district) are using Urdu in their campaign. Urdu-speaking voters comprise half the voters in the upazila. "Walking along the streets of Saidpur town, one would frequently hear loudspeaker announcements in Urdu. "It is also being used for slogans in processions and in public speeches by the candidates who know well that Urdu speaking people, commonly known as Biharis, would play a decisive role in Saidpur upazila parishad election," the report said. Urdu's u