EC Preparing for UP, Municipal Elections

The Election Commission (EC) is making preparations to hold elections to over 4,000 Union Parishads (UPs) and by-polls to more than 250 municipalities of the country.  

The UP elections will be held in December this year and from March to April, next year says a media report.

The elections to the vacant posts in municipalities will be held from October this year. In this connection, the EC sought information from the field-level officials regarding municipalities.

Various sources at the EC said there are over 4,500 UPs across the country. Of those, the tenure has been expired in around 500 UPs and elections will be held in those areas by December this year. The elections to rest 4,000 UPs will be held in different phases from March to April next year.  

The last municipal election was held in December of 2015. The EC will have to declare the schedule for elections keeping 40-45 days in hand.

In this connection, the field officials of the EC have got various tasks, including a collection of lists, the scrutinisation of complications in holding elections as well as area-based difficulties.  

EC secretary Md Alamgir said, ''As per the latest decision of the EC meeting, the local elections will be started from October while the elections to the vacant posts of the Jatiya Sangsad (Parliament) will be started from November.  And there will be no further delay for these elections.''