Khaleda violates electoral rules

Alleges Mohiuddin

12 June 2010, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent, Ctg

With only four days left until Chittagong City Corporation elections, Nagorik Committee will focus more on door-to-door campaign in support of its mayoral candidate ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury to reach more voters in the last three days of electioneering from today. Committee leaders decided on its new electioneering strategy, as many areas are still left out of the campaign, sources said. The campaign will start from the Shaheed Minar in the morning, Mohiuddin said in a press conference yesterday. All the leaders and supporters would gather at the Shaheed Minar before starting campaigning in groups in different city areas, he said. Mohiuddin's chief election agent Ishaq Mia said the decision was taken to conduct the campaign in a coordinated way. He said they would now emphasise on door-to-door campaign instead of street rally or view exchange meetings. ALLEGATIONS AGAINST KHALEDA Meanwhile, Mohiuddin yesterday demanded that the Election Commission take action against opposition leader and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, saying that she has violated the electoral code of conduct by giving guidelines to senior BNP leaders regarding electioneering strategy during a teleconference on Wednesday. On Friday evening, Ishaq Mia filed a complaint against Khaleda to the returning officer. In his complaint, Ishaq said BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, who enjoys the status of a minister, held a teleconference with the senior BNP leaders, including Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Abdullah Al Noman and Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, during a meeting with party-backed mayoral candidate Md Manzur Alam at Khulshi on Wednesday night, breaching the electoral code of conduct. ALLEGATIONS AGAINST MANJUR Ishaq also filed two other complaints to the returning officer, raising question about the eligibility of BNP-backed mayoral candidate M Manjur Alam for the elections. In his complaint, Ishaq alleged that Manjur concealed in his affidavit a fact that he was fined earlier for pilfering gas and electricity. Ishaq said Manjur paid Tk 32,30,432 in fines to Bakharabad Gas Systems Limited on January 30 in 1999 on charges of pilfering of gas by his company Golden Iron Works Limited. Manjur also paid Tk 17,23,565 in fines to Power Development Board (PDB) on October 31 in 2007 on charges of pilfering of electricity by his another company Mostafa Hakim Cement factory, the complainant added. MOHIUDDIN'S CAMPAIGN
AL central leaders Suranjit Sengupta, Amir Hossain Amu, Obaidul Quader, Ahmad Hossain and Aminul Islam conducted election campaigns in different areas yesterday. At a view exchange meeting, AL presidium member Obaidul Quader sought support for Mohiuddin from the people of greater Noakhali living in Chittagong.