ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, left, takes a break during campaign in Chittagong Stadium area while Mohammad Manjur Alam Manju, right, in Agrabad area on Monday.Photo: STAR

With only seven days left for Chittagong City Corporation (CCC), electioneering by both mayoral and councillor candidates already is gaining momentum.
Seven candidates are running in the mayoral race, 59 for 14 councillors reserved for women and 249 for councillors in 41 wards.
All the candidates are now busy carrying out mass contact and campaign seeking votes since morning till night everyday in a most disciplined fashion.
In the mayoral race a straight fight is likely to take place between the ruling Awami League-backed and Nagorik Committee mayoral candidate ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury and opposition BNP-backed and Chattagram Unnayan Andolon mayoral candidate Mohammad Manjur Alam Manju in the election scheduled for June 17.
Jatiya Party (Ershad)-backed Mayoral candidate Solaiman Sheth has stepped back extending support to Mohiuddin as the common candidate of 14-party grand alliance.
Jamaat-backed Afseruddin Chowdhury withdrew from the race to back Manjur as the candidate of 10-party alliance in Chittagong.
Mohiuddin, also Chittagong city AL president, is the first elected mayor of Chittagong. He defeated BNP-nominated Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin by some 17,000 votes in the first CCC election held on January 31 in 1994.
An internal conflict in the city BNP had some contribution to Nagorik Committee candidate Mohiuddin's victory over the then ruling party candidate Mir Nasir in the poll.
Mohiuddin won the mayoral post for the second time in January 3, 2000 election which was boycotted by BNP.
Mohiuddin was elected mayor for the consecutive third time defeating Mir Nasir by a huge margin of 91,480 votes on May 9 in 2005.
This time scenario is a bit different for Mohiuddin as a section of AL city unit led by Vice-President Nurul Islam MP is opposing him while three other leaders -- Vice-President Mahtabuddin Chowdhury, Organising Secretary Rezaul Karim and AZM Nasir have developed internal feud over AL backing for mayoral race.
Besides, quarrel and legal battle with the Hindu community leaders over a piece of land beside OR Nizam Road put a dent on Mohiuddin's popularity in October, 2005 -- only five months after his historic win for third term.
However, opposition within the party and conflict over nomination have lessened after Prime Minister and AL President Sheikh Hasina at a meeting at her official residence Gono Bhaban in the capital on May 27 urged influential leaders and lawmakers from Chittagong to forget all disputes and work unitedly to ensure Mohiuddin's victory in the CCC election.
Hasina also formed a campaign committee headed by elderly leader Ishaq Mia to conduct the campaign for Mohiuddin.
Later, a team of AL central leaders led by Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif and Organising Secretary Ahmed Hossain visited Chittagong and succeeded to involve the aggrieved leaders in the campaign for Mohiuddin.
The team also met influential Hindu community leader Binod Bihari Chowdhury and Hindu-Buddha-Christian Oikya Parishad leader Advocate Rana Dasgupta remove distance they had with Mohiuddin.
Mohiuddin himself, however, should take further initiative to involve these aggrieved leaders in the campaign to ensure his win, said the party insiders.
Manjur had been a councillor at ward 10 -- Uttar (north) Kattoli -- winning all the three polls since January 31, 1994 with AL backing.
With his clean image and different welfare activities, he won the heart of the local people as well as that of Mohiuddin to run CCC as acting mayor.
But, distance developed between Mohiuddin and Manjur, once a close aide to Mohiuddin, during the caretaker government when Mohiudding was behind the bar and Manjur ran the CCC as acting mayor.
As relation declining further Manjur met BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia seeking BNP nomination, which he didn't get for running the last parliament election from Chittagong 8 constituency.
BNP, however, extended support to Manjur in the mayoral race. But, internal grouping and intra-party feud began over his nomination that was later resolved at the intervention of party high command.
All the influential party leaders in Chittagong, including Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury; Vice-Chairman Abdullah Al Noman; BNP Chairperson's Adviser Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin and Chittagong city BNP President Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury are now carrying out campaign to ensure Manjur's victory.
So, the people are now expecting a straight fight between Mohiuddin and Manjur as candidates of two major parties.