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Tight race at BNP stronghold

RASHIDUL Hasan,/rom Noakhali
More than two lakh voters of Noakhali-1 constituency go to polls today to elect their representative in the ninth parliament.
People in the constituency expect a neck-and-neck battle even though the constituency is considered a BNP stronghold. Awami League (AL) last won the constituency way backin 1973?
Election to Noakhali-1 (Chatkhil-Sonaimuri) was deferred following the mysterious death of Gonotantri Party leader and grand alliance candidate Nurul Islam on December 4.
Authorities completed necessary preparations for the polls and a three-tier security around all 105 polling centres have been put in place. A total of 1,955 members of police, ansar and armed police battalion have been deployed. Rapid Action Battalion and Bangladesh Rifles personnel will also be on duty as strike force.
Returning Officer Abdul Hoque of the constituency said everything is set for the polls. "We have taken preparations.. we will ensure foolproof security for the election to be held in a free and fair manner." he said, adding, "Law enforcers and adequate number of magistrates will be present. A 19-member team of police and ansar will be deployed in every polling centre."
Hoque said they identified 62 centres as vulnerable to violence and additional security measures will be in place there. Noakhali police chief Ashraful Alam refused to identify the 62 polling centres as vulnerable. He termed them comparatively important centres since they have high number of voters.
A total of six candidates remain in the race after withdrawal of
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nomination papers.
Among them, grand alliance partner Jatiya Party had nominated Mahbubur Rahman and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal had made Harun-Ur-Rashid a candidate. Both of them unofficially pulled out on January 7 and pledged support for Awami League candidate HM Ibrahim.
Thp BNP-led four-party alliance nominated Mahbubuddin Khokan.
The other two candidates are Amanullah of Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Janata League and Abdur Rahim of Island Andolan Bangladesh.
Awami League candidate Ibrahim expects a massive victory. He. however, claimed that supporters of BNP were intimidating voters loyal to him.
Ibrahim had filed nomination as an independent He withdrew his candidature after grand alliance nominated Nurul Islam in the constituency. Ibrahim submitted fresh nomination after Nurul Islam's death and is contesting with the Awami League ticket
BNP nominee Khokan yesterday said, "If voters are safe tonight and not intimidated tomorrow morning I will win by a margin of60,000votes."
Mahbubuddin Khokan alleged that supporters of Awami League were threatening his activists and would-be agents in 27 polling centres. "We submitted a complaint with the returning officer and the Election Commission," he said.
Returning officer Abdul Hoque said he received the complaint and has informed the superintendent of police for taking necessary action.
Several lawmakers of Awami League and MPs-elect of four-party are at the constituency on the occasion of polls.
The Election Commission imposed a ban on movements of taxicabs, auto-rickshaws, microbuses, SUVs, pickup trucks, cars, buses, trucks, motorised three-wheelers, launches, engine boats and speedboats between January 10 midnight and January 12 midnight
Khorshed Alam Babul, a member of Chatkhil Awami League and nephew of late Nurul Islam, is seeing the election as a tug of war between two localities. "Mahbub is from Sonaimuri and Ibrahim is from Chatkhil."
Abul Hasib, a local businessman, said, "It is impossible to make prediction about the election as voters are very much politically conscious."
"The withdrawal of Jatiya Party nominee Mahbubur Rahman and his support for Ibrahim will have a significant impact on votes," Abedur Rahman, a shopkeeper, said at Chatkhil.
Asked about the nationwide landslide victory of Awami League, college student Hasibul Haq. said, "Whatever happened elsewhere does not matter here. We will vote with local issues in mind.”