Almost all the candidates for the upcoming upzila elections in Teknaf are listed yaba traders. The candidates claim they have been labelled yaba trades by those who want to destroy their political career.

Teknaf upazila AL’s joint president, Zafar Ahmed, who is competing, has his name at the top of the home ministry’s list of yaba traders. There is another candidate, Nurul Alam, who is known as a patron of yaba traders. 

Chairman candidate Professor Mohammad Ali is not featured in the list of traders though his sons, Rashed Mohamamd Ali and Mahbub Morshed are mentioned to be involved in yaba trade.

It’s believed that former MP and known locally as yaba godfather, Abdur Rahman Badi, wanted to have any one of the above elected without contest. But his effort was not successful.

The total number of voters in this upazila is 1 lakh 45 thousand 808 persons. The locals say that to free Teknaf of yaba, leader with a clean image is needed.

People will however go to cast their votes for vice chairmen and women vice chairmen posts.

AL candidate Mohammad Ali, says, “My career is flawless and I have been fighting against yaba and drugs for a long time; however, one section has maliciously included the names of my sons in the yaba traders’ list.”

I am confident of winning since the people of the area know me and are aware of my social reputation, he added.

Saying that he had been falsely included in the list of yaba traders, he observed, “I demand my name to be removed; there are no cases against me at the police station and that’s why I was elected in the past.”

Cox’s Bazaar police super, A B M Masud Hossain, said, “All preparations have been taken to ensure a free, fair and neutral elections; no side will be allowed to exert any unlawful influence.”

Saying that special measures have been taken at risky centres, he added: “We shall deal with attempts to disrupt polls with a firm hand.”