Posters linger in city streets

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Many electioneering posters were still visible in the city on Saturday, a day after the 48 hours stipulated by the Election Commission to pull them down expired.
Many small billboards promoting independent lawmaker and mayoral aspirant Haji Mohammad Selim were standing in many areas of Bailey Road and Ramna.
Posters of mayoral candidate Saifuddin Ahmed Milon and Rafiqul Islam flooded every lane of Moghbazar, Mouchak, Bailey Road and Ramna areas.
Though the city corporation cleaners Saturday morning removed the posters pasted on the beams of Moghbazar flyover, many posters still remained on display in different areas.
The trees and walls along the capital’s Mintu Road to Segunbagicha areas were flooded with the posters of Haji Awlad Hossain, Farid Uddin Ratan, Md Ibrahim Azad, Md Raju Ahmed, G M Atiqur Rahman and Abul Kalam Azad, aspirant candidates for councilor posts.
The wall of Segunbagicha WASA office was covered with posters of Mahbuba Chaklader Kanon, Aman Ullah Chowdhury, Golam Mawla Rony and Harun Chowdhury, aspirants to the upcoming city polls.
Many colourful posters of Helena Jahangir and Bahauddin Ahmed Babul were seen in different parts of Farmgate to Mirpur area.
Some posters of Chittagong mayor aspirants and local Awami League leaders AZM Nasir Uddin and Abdus Salam were seen in different areas of the port city.
On March 18, during the unveiling of the schedule for three city polls, the chief election commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad said ‘remove the posters, leaflets and billboards within 48 hours, at your own initiative’.
By requesting aspirant candidates to follow the electoral code of conduct, CEC said if any ‘illegal’ campaigning continued after the 48 stipulated hours, it would become a punishable offence under the City Corporation (electoral code of conduct) Rules 2010.
The 48 hours concluded on Friday night at 12am.
Earlier on Thursday, the EC issued an order asking the concerned government agencies to stop unlawful election campaigns in the three cities ahead of the civic polls on April 28.
The Article 4 of City Corporation (electoral code of conduct) Rules 2010 prohibits any election campaign by candidates or individuals on their behalf earlier than 21 days before the polling date.
Some aspirant candidates put up black and white posters in different areas of the capital, removing the posters they pasted earlier. In some areas, black and white posters of Haji Mohamamd Selim and Bahauddin Ahmed Babul were visible.
Under Rule 9 of the electoral code of conduct, any aspirant candidate committing such crimes would be sentenced to imprisonment not exceeding six months with a fine not exceeding Tk 50, 000, said the order.
Article 10 of the rules empowers the EC to cancel the candidature of aspirants for such offense.
EC ordered the assigned returning officers to ask the aspirant candidates to follow the City Corporation (electoral code of conduct) Rules 2010.
Dhaka North city corporation chief executive officer, B M Enamul Haque claimed they had already removed billboards. In some places, candidates removed billboards at their own initiative, he said.
‘We believe candidates should try their best to follow the electoral code of conduct as they are going to become guardians of these cities,’ he added.
Citizens for Good Governance secretary Badiul Alam Majumder said that if aspirant candidates do not follow the instructions given by the EC, it would prove the EC was as ineffective as it had been in previous years.
‘The EC need to carry out its duties and enforce its instructions,’ he said.
Source: New Age