Ahead of the 13th National Parliament Election, election symbols have been officially allocated to the candidates in the three parliamentary constituencies of Gopalganj district. With this, the campaigning for the national elections in the district has officially begun.On Wednesday (January 21), the District Returning Officer handed over the symbols to the candidates in the conference room of the Deputy Commissioner. At that time, he warned the candidates about following the election code of conduct as per the instructions of the Election Commission. According to sources from the District Election Office, a total of 27 candidates are contesting in the three parliamentary constituencies of Gopalganj this time. Out of these, 18 are nominated candidates of different political parties and 9 are in the election field as independents. However, the decision regarding the allocation of symbols to two independent candidates in Gopalganj-2 constituency has not been finalized yet.Gopalganj-1 Constituency 8 candidates are contesting in Gopalganj-1 constituency consisting of Muksudpur Upazila and a part of Kashiani.  Among the party candidates, BNP's Md. Selimuzzaman Molya has received the paddy sheaf symbol. Islami Andolan Bangladesh's Mohammad Mizanur Rahman has received the hand fan, Jamaat-e-Islami's Muhammad Abdul Hamid Mollah has received the beard, Communist Party of Bangladesh's Nirad Baran Majumder has received the sickle and Jatiya Party's Sultan Zaman Khan has received the plow symbol. Among the independent candidates, Ashraful Alam (football), M. Anisul Islam (horse) and Md. Qayum Ali Khan (coal) have entered the voting field with the symbol.Gopalganj-2 constituency A total of 11 candidates have been allotted symbols in Gopalganj-2 constituency, which consists of Sadar Upazila and part of Kashiani.  Among the party candidates, BNP's KM Babar got the paddy sheaf symbol, Islami Andolan's Taslim Sikder the fan, Ganadhikar Parishad's Deen Mohammad Truck, Zaker Party's Mahmud Hasan Golap Phul, Jatiya Party's Riaz Sarwar Molya the plow, Gano Forum's Shah Mofiz the rising sun, and Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis's Shuaib Ibrahim got the rickshaw symbol.Among the independent candidates, Kamruzzaman Bhuiyan (telephone) and Utpal Biswas (football) are contesting with the symbol. Besides, M. H. Khan Manju (deer) and Md. Sirajul Islam Siraj (table clock) are independent candidates, but the final decision on the allocation of symbols to Roni Mollah and Sipon Bhuiyan has not been made yet.Gopalganj-3 Constituency 8 candidates are contesting in Gopalganj-3 constituency consisting of Tungipara and Kotalipara upazilas. Among the party candidates, BNP's S.  M. Jilani received the symbol of rice sheaf, Md. Maruf Sheikh Hatpakha of the Islamic Movement, A. Aziz of the Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis received the symbol of rickshaw, Sheikh Salauddin of the National People's Party received the symbol of mango, Dulal Chandra Biswas of the Gano Forum received the symbol of rising sun and Abul Basar of the Ganodhikar Parishad received the symbol of truck. As independent candidates, Md. Habibur Rahman (football) and Govinda Chandra Pramanik (horse) participated in the election campaign with the symbol of participation. After the symbol allocation ceremony, the District Returning Officer said that the district administration and law enforcement agencies are on the highest alert to ensure fair, free and peaceful elections. No concession will be made regarding violation of the election code of conduct. It is worth noting that voting is scheduled to be held in three parliamentary constituencies of Gopalganj district on February 12.

In a veiled reference to the BSF, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday warned against what she called “high-handedness” at the India-Bangladesh border and condemned alleged instances of Indian nationals being pushed into the neighbouring country.Addressing an administrative meeting in Cooch Behar, the CM said, “Indian citizens are being sent to Bangladesh. I will tell the state police not to be scared. Be a little proactive. There should be emphasis on naka operations.”Referring to alleged harassment of residents, Mamata said, “Cooch Behar is a border district. Law and order must be maintained at the border. No high-handedness will be tolerated. One is not a Bangladeshi if they speak Bengali. Bangladesh is a country and West Bengal is a state. Many people in Uttar Pradesh speak Urdu. Pakistanis also speak Urdu. There is a Punjab in Pakistan also. So is there a Punjab in India. Residents on both sides speak Punjabi. Residents of Bengal are being harassed.”Earlier in Kolkata, before leaving for North Bengal, Mamata criticised the BJP over a reference to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay as “Bankimada” in Parliament during a discussion on Vande Mataram. She said, “Whatever you think, you do. Even earlier, it was announced in the Rajya Sabha that ‘Jai Hind’, ‘Vande Mataram’ will not go on. I heard yesterday they do not like Netaji, Gandhiji, Rammohan! Do you know the history of the country? Do they (BJP) know the contribution of Bengal?”At the meeting in Cooch Behar, CM Mamata said no agency from another state can arrest anyone in West Bengal without following procedure. “If anyone is named as accused (in a case), it should be investigated. Some people from Assam were sent notices under foreign laws,” she said.She added that patrolling on police vans had reduced. “Earlier, a police van used to patrol an area three or four times. Can’t see this now. It’s not right. Patrolling should be done at night and day.”Mamata urged all departments to cooperate with booth level officers (BLOs) during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and instructed the district magistrates to ensure proper inclusion of names. “Many names are not being included properly. Many people are married outside (Bengal). There are also issues faced by migrant workers,” she said.Mamata urged all departments to cooperate with booth level officers (BLOs) during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and instructed the district magistrates to ensure proper inclusion of names. “Many names are not being included properly. Many people are married outside (Bengal). There are also issues faced by migrant workers,” she said.She advised the residents to carry necessary documents when called for SIR hearings.“Already 41 people, including three BLOs, have died in the state. People also died during the SIR in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Kerala as well. Earlier the SIR was completed in two years. Now it is being completed within two months. How can it be possible? They (BJP) are doing whatever they want,” she said.