The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

The Election Commission (EC) has arranged live television dialogue between mayoral candidates and voters of the concerned areas.

The first dialogue between mayoral candidates of Barisal City Corporation and voters of the area will be held on July 15 in Barisal Auditorium at Band Road, Public Relations Officer of EC SM Asaduzzaman told BSS yesterday.

The dialogue of Khulna City Corporation will be held on July 21 at Zia Hall, Rajshahi City Corporation on July 25 in Rajshahi Medical College Auditorium and Sylhet City Corporation on July 31 in Sylhet Jalalabad Gas Auditorium.

Two-day dialogue will be arranged for the city corporation that has more mayoral candidates than other city corporations.

At the dialogue, mayoral candidates will face voters and inform them about their future development and welfare plans, if they are elected.

Editor of BBC Bangla Service in London Kamal Ahmed will act as moderator of the dialogues to be held from 8.45 pm to 9.55 pm on the set dates.

Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar will broadcast the programme live, and interested private TV channels can air the programme live taking the feed from BTV.

BTV and BBC, under the supervision of EC, are carrying out all responsibilities, including recording and broadcasting of the programme.

The scrutiny of listeners and viewers is going on and those who are interested in taking part in the dialogue have been asked by BBC and EC to contact at mobile phone Nos. 0172-7174400 (Barisal), 0172-7174411 (Khulna), 0172-7174422 (Rajshahi), 0172- 7174433 (Sylhet) or email bengali@bbc.co.uk or BBC Bangla Service, Postbox-2060, Dhaka-1000 by July 8.

Questions will not be accepted by telephone and selected viewers, who will contact by July 8, can participate in the programme, EC sources said.

A tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between EC, BTV and BBC on Thursday in this regard.

BTV Deputy Director General (Programme) Quamrunnesa Hasan, BBC Bangla Service Chief Sabir Mustafa and EC Public Relations Officer SM Asaduzzaman signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations.

According to the EC schedule, the elections to four city corporations and nine municipalities will be held on August 4. The last date for filing nomination papers was July 3.

The scrutiny of the nomination papers will be held on July 7 and 8 and the last date for withdrawal of the nomination papers is July 13.

Sixty-eight mayoral candidates submitted nomination papers in four city corporations, the EC sources said.