Staff Reporter :
The Election Commission (EC) has instructed all returning officers to recruit polling officials from neighbouring upazilas within the same district if necessary, to address any potential shortage ahead of the upcoming parliamentary election.
The directive was issued on Monday through a letter signed by EC Deputy Secretary Mohammad Manir Hossain and sent to all returning officers for immediate action.
According to the letter, the parliamentary election is scheduled for 12 February, and returning officers were earlier asked to finalise panels of polling officials by 18 December in line with existing guidelines.
The latest instruction allows returning officers to draw officials from adjacent or nearby upazilas within their districts if sufficient personnel are not available in the concerned upazila.
In a related move, the EC has also ordered the collection of detailed information on all officials involved in conducting the general election and referendum, including returning officers. Separate instructions to this effect have been sent to regional election officers.
The commission said contact details of officials must be submitted to ensure swift communication during the election period.
This includes information on police officials such as deputy inspectors general (DIGs), police commissioners, superintendents of police (SPs), and officers-in-charge (OCs) of police stations.
Additionally, details of EC Secretariat field-level officials regional election officers, senior district and district election officers, and upazila or thana election officers must be submitted to the relevant EC branch by tomorrow (16 December) in the prescribed format.
According to the EC schedule, nomination papers can be submitted until 29 December, with scrutiny to be held from 30 December to 4 January. Appeals against returning officers’ decisions may be filed by 11 January and will be disposed of between 12 and 18 January.
The last date for withdrawal of candidacy is 20 January, while the final list of candidates and symbol allocation will be published on 21 January.
Election campaigning will run from 22 January until 7:30am on 10 February, and voting will take place on 12 February.
