'If the election is fair, I am certain of my victory': Ivy after voting

Selina Hayat Ivy, the Awami League nominated mayoral candidate in the Narayaganj City Corporation (NCC) election, cast her vote at the city's Shishu Bagh School in ward no 16 on Sunday (16 January).

Ivy cast her vote at around 11:15 am, and said she is certain of her victory in the election. 

"If the election is fair, I am certain of my victory," she said. 

She also said voting is slow in certain centres due to the EMVs. 

"Situation is fine till now. I don't know what will happen next," Ivy said, adding, "I want voters to be able to vote quickly."

Earlier in the day, Taimur Alam Khandaker, independent mayoral candidate in NCC election cast his vote at Islamia Dakhil Madrasa voting centre near Jamtala Central Eidgah area.

"I will win the election with over a lakh votes. Situation seems peaceful till now, we can tell fully after the counting of votes," Taimur said. 

The voting started at 8am in 192 polling centres in 27 wards of the city and will continue till 4pm without any break. The constituency has a total of 517,362 registered voters – 259,846 men, 257,511 women and four people from third gender communities who will exercise their voting rights at 1333 polling booths in 192 centres.

Since the formation of Narayanganj City Corporation, incumbent mayor Dr Selina Hayat Ivy won the first two elections in 2011 and 2016. Earlier, she was mayor of erstwhile Narayanganj municipality.

The election will decide the post of mayor, nine reserved women councillors and 27 ward councillors.

If Selina Hayat Ivy, the first female mayor in the country, wins the election, she will be the first to become mayor for the third time in a row. On the other hand, the victory of Taimur Alam Khandaker might create more space for the opposition parties to raise questions about the "acceptance" of the ruling Awami League, which has been in power since 2009.

Narayanganj-4 constituency MP Shamim Osman will vote in Adarsh ​​School in the afternoon.