EC: Polls to 5 city corporations by June

Staff Reporter :
The Election Commission (EC) has decided to hold polls to five city corporations in three phases before the parliamentary elections.
According to the commission, elections will be held in Gazipur, Rajshahi, Barisal, Sylhet, and Khulna city corporations between May and June before Eid-ul-Azha.
EC Secretary Md Jahangir Alam said that a policy decision was taken in the EC meeting on Wednesday.
CEC Kazi Habibul Awal presided over this meeting in the morning at Agargaon Nirbachan Bhaban.
After the meeting, the EC Secretary Md Jahangir Alam said about the EC’s decision: “The elections will be held by June. We will let you know on time when the elections will be held. We will hold elections between May and June.”
HSC exam will likely be from July 7. For that, a preliminary decision has been taken to hold votes in five cities in three phases between May 23 and June 29 after the SSC examination.
He said that the five city elections should be held before the parliamentary elections.
The secretary said that it has been decided that the elections will be held between Eid-ul-Azha and the SSC examinations.
Later, the details will be informed in the election schedule. He also mentioned that the schedule will be announced in the middle of April.
Election schedule will be made considering tenure. In that case all the elections will be held using EVMs. Even if there is a plan to install CCTV cameras, it will be decided at that time whether it will be done or not, added the EC secretary.
The EC is legally obliged to hold election to a city corporation in the last 180 days of the corporation’s five-year tenure.
The EC will have to hold Gazipur City Corporation polls between March 11 and September 10, Khulna City Corporation and Rajshahi City Corporation polls between April 13 and October 10, Barisal City Corporation polls between May 14 and November 13, and Sylhet City Corporation polls between May 6 and November 5.