Khulna city polls: What are in the manifestos of the candidates?

All five mayoral candidates for Khulna City Corporation are working at the last minute on electoral pledges to woo voters. The candidates will start rolling out election manifestos from April 24. Awami League nominated candidate Talukder Abdul Khalek is preparing a 31-point manifesto. He rolled out a 31-point manifesto in the 2013 mayoral polls and a 28-point manifesto during the 2008 polls. On the other hand, BNP mayoral candidate Nazrul Islam Manju is preparing a 19-point manifesto while Jatiya Party (JP) mayoral candidate SM Shafiqur Rahman will declare an eight-point manifesto. The election manifesto prepared by Talukder Abdul Khalek include pledges to reduce traffic gridlock and waterlogging, drives to eradicate mosquitoes, reclaiming grabbed canals, repairing of roads, improvement of medical services, generating employment, setting up of IT village, introducing town service, improvement of traffic system, ensuring safe water for slum dwellers, curbing drug abuse, constructing and renovating parks and developing Khalishpur and Rapsa industrial zones. “We are almost done with the manifesto. We are attaching priority to demands of the city dwellers regarding the development of the city corporation,” said the Awami League mayoral candidate. With the slogan `Green city clean city’ BNP candidate Manju’s electoral pledges include expanding the city corporation area, ensuring women’s rights, making plans facilitating children, old people and people with disabilities, ensuring medical services, development of roads and waste drainage system, reducing waterlogging, taking initiatives to eradicate mosquitoes, and creating income source for the corporation. “I will start the election campaign after rolling out the manifesto. The manifesto will also explain why BNP is contesting the city corporation polls,” Manju said. Jatiya Party mayoral candidate Shafiqur said he will vow to curb drug abuse under Islamic rule. Other pledges include expanding roads to reduce gridlock and resolving waterlogging. Among other candidates, Islami Andolan Bangladesh mayoral candidate Maolana Muzammil Haque is planning to roll out a 25-point manifesto. In his manifesto, Communist Party of Bangladesh candidate Mizanur Rahman Babu is attaching priority to resuming of factories in Khulna city.