‘Vote for AL candidate out in open’

An Awami League leader in Lakshmipur has asked voters to cast ballots in public for the party mayoral candidate in tomorrow's Ramgati municipality polls.

"You have to cast your ballots in public for the mayoral candidate of 'boat' [Awami League's electoral symbol]," Nur Uddin Chowdhury Nayan, general secretary of Lakshmipur district AL, said while addressing an election rally in Ramgati on Wednesday.

He was campaigning for AL mayoral nominee Mejbah Uddin, also the incumbent mayor.

This newspaper has obtained the video clip of Nur's speech.

The AL leader also said those who would not vote for "boat" would "realise the situation" the day after the polling.

Following the remarks of Nur, panic has spread among the other mayor candidates and voters.

Enquired about his comments, Nur last night denied that he asked voters to cast ballots in public.

He claimed that BNP-Jamaat men changed his statement by editing the video footage.

"BNP-Jamaat  talk against holding elections using Electronic Voting Machine (EVM)  and run propaganda against its use," he told The Daily Star.

Lakshmipur District Election Officer Nazim Uddin, also the returning officer of the municipality polls, said he could not understand in what context the AL leader made the remarks.

He said there are 10 polling centres in nine wards of Ramgati municipality. An executive magistrate, seven policemen and nine Ansar men will be deployed in each voting centre on the polling day, the RO added.

Six mayoral and 49 councillor hopefuls, including 12 for reserved councillor posts for women, are contesting the polls.