Sidr-ravaged Voters

Runners find it tough to win their hearts

16 December 2008, 18:00 PM

Quazi Amanullah, Khulna

Voters of Sidr-hit constituencies in Khulna and Bagerhat districts will be guided no more by party affiliation while casting their votes in the upcoming national election. The homeless and jobless people will evaluate the role of the candidates and their parties during the post-Sidr period while giving their verdict in the polls. Sources said 31 candidates from six constituencies of Khulna city and district and 15 candidates from four constituencies of Bagerhat district are not in a position to face the voters of Sidr-hit areas to seek their votes. “We did not get any of them by our side when Sidr claimed lives of innumerable men, women and children and ravaged hundreds of houses,” said Anwar Hossain Panchayet who is the chairman of Southkhali union parishad under Saronkhola upazila of Bagerhat district. A total of 41,000 voters of Sharankhola upazila will give a befitting reply to all the three candidates contesting from Bagerhat-4 (Sharankhola-Morrelganj) constituency, he added. The three candidates contesting from this constituency are former state-minister Dr Mozammel Hossain of 14-party alliance, Professor Shahidul Islam of four-party alliance and Abdul Majid of Islami Shashantantra Andolon. The same situation is being faced by four candidates of Khulna-5 (Dumuria-Phultala) and four candidates of Khulna-6 (Koira-Paikgacha) constituencies. None of the candidates contesting from Khulna-5 played any commendable role during post-Sidr days to seek votes with moral courage, said Khan Ali Mansur, chairman of Dumuria Sadar union parishad. Candidates contesting from this seat are Narayan Chandra Chana of 14-party, Mian Golam Parwar of four-party, Bidur Kanti Biswas of Bikalpadhara Bangladesh and Sheikh Jamil Ahmed of Islami Andolon Bangladesh. In Khulna-6, Advocate Sohrab Ali Sana of 14-party, Shah Mohammad Ruhul Quddus of four-party, Nepal Krishna Das of Bikalpadhara and Rezaul Karim of Islami Andolon Bangladesh are yet to visit the waterlogged four unions of Koira upazila where over 25,000 people have been marooned since last September.