Md Mostafizar Rahman, nominee of Jatiya Party, won the Rangpur City Corporation (RpCC) Elections- 2022 for a second term as mayor of Rangpur.
Mostafizur received 146,798 votes with the symbol of Plough in the stronghold of the opposition party, while his closest competitor, Md Amiruzzaman of the Islami Andolan Bangladesh, received 49,898 votes (symbol- Hand fan). Mostafa defeated Amiruzzaman by a massive margin of 96,906 votes and won as the mayor of Rangpur City. Former Awami League leader and independent mayoral candidate Md. Latifur Rahman came in third with 33,883 votes (symbol -Elephant). Former lawmaker and Awami League mayoral candidate Hosne Ara Lutfa Dalia received 22,306 votes under the “Boat” symbol.
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Upon completion of vote counting at all 229 polling locations, Returning Officer Abdul Baten released these unofficial results on Tuesday evening.
Moreover, candidates for the mayor’s office Md Abu Raihan of the Bangladesh Congress received 10,549 votes (symbol- Green coconut), Md Tauhidur Rahman Mondal of Khelafat Majlish received 2,864 votes (symbol- Wall clock), Md Shafiar Rahman of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-JASOD received 5,156 votes (symbol- Moshal), Independent candidate Md Mehedi Hasan received 2,679 votes (symbol- Deer) and Khorshed Alam of Zaker Party got 5,809 votes (symbol- Rose flower).
Out of 4,26,470 eligible voters, 2,79,936 exercised their right to vote, and the average turnout was 65.88 percent, Baten announced.
After the results were announced, Mayor Mostafa told media that the polls were fair and impartial and reflected Rangpur city’s choice. “My victory is the victory of the people of Rangpur city. I will continue to engage my fullest efforts in turning RpCC into a modernised and beautiful city in a planned manner ensuring welfare and all necessary civic amenities,” Mostafa stated.
Mostafizar’s promised 31-point manifesto
During the mayoral campaign, Mustafizar Rahman had revealed a manifesto that emphasizes 31 issues with the promise of constructing a clean, modern city.
Significant promises in the manifesto include the implementation of a Tk 2,200 crore project to revitalize the Shyamasundari canal to preserve the city’s beauty, the implementation of the Korean Grand Project in 33 wards to transform it into a smart city, and the implementation of a Tk 50 crore project to transform Chikli Park into a modern park in the city.
In the manifesto, it is stated that steps would be taken to eliminate city garbage in order to establish a clean city. Moreover, two pedestrian bridges have been created to ease traffic congestion. There will be footbridge construction at a few other significant locations.
The manifesto mentions the construction of three regional offices and complex buildings in 33 wards to facilitate citizen services and bring services directly to citizens’ doorsteps. Additionally, the manifesto pledged to construct regional urban maternity centers in 18 wards to offer medical services. It also states that residential colonies will be developed in order to ease the housing issue of cleaning staff. Moreover, CCTV cameras will be deployed at each intersection in 33 wards. In addition, initiatives will be taken for the rehabilitation and employment of street vendors.
During the RpCC elections, 33 councilors for general wards and 11 female reserved councilors for reserved wards were also elected.
There were 260 candidates running in the RpCC elections, including nine for the position of mayor, 183 for 33 general councilors, and 68 for 11 reserved female councilors. Unopposed, a general council candidate was elected.
