Election Commission has announced that Chittagong City Corporation elections which have been postponed due to the coronavirus situation, will be held in the first week of January.
CCC Election Returning Officer Mohammad Hasanuzzaman said CCC polling would be held in the first week of January and not in December.
Mohammad Hasanuzzaman, Regional Election Officer and Returning Officer for CCC Elections, said, “We have not yet received a clear decision from the Election Commission on holding the polling. However, as far as I am concerned, the election may take place in the first week of January. Our preparations were all completed in advance. The election was suspended due to Corona in the middle. If we get instructions, we can start from there”.
When asked, whether new details would be announced in all the wards where councilor candidates have died, Returning Officer Mohammad Hasanuzzaman said, "No clear instructions have been issued yet. On the day of the vote, even if the mayoral post is voted in those four wards, the polling for the councilor post will not be taken. Later, as per the instructions of the commission, a new schedule for the post of councilor will be announced in those wards and votes will be taken”.
After the announcement of the election schedule, reserved ward (17, 18 and 19) councilor candidate Shahida Begum Parveen, ward 30 candidate Mazharul Islam Chowdhury, ward 27 candidate Hossain Murad and ward 40 candidate Muhammad Joynal Abedin died.
While announcing the final list of candidates for the municipal elections at the Election Commission Secretariat on Wednesday, EC Senior Secretary Md Alamgir said the Election Commission had discussed the Chittagong City Corporation's voting at an early stage. The date of the polling will be announced if the commission decides. In this case, the vote may take place at the end of December. However, if for some reason it is not possible to hold the polls in December, it will be held in January. The secretary also said that the EC has given time till February for the Chittagong City Corporation's voting programme.
According to the schedule, CCC polls was scheduled to be held on March 29. However, the election was postponed from March 21 due to corona pandemic. Later, the government appointed Khorshed Alam Sujan, Vice-President of city Awami League as CCC administrator for six months.
There are six candidates for the post of mayor in this election, M Rezaul Karim Chowdhury from Awami League, Shahadat Hossain from BNP, MA Matin from Bangladesh Islamic Front, Abul Manzur from People's Party, Muhammad Wahed Murad from Islamic Front Bangladesh, Md. Jannatul Islam from Islamic Andolon Bangladesh. Besides, there are more than 200 candidates for the post of councilors.
