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Tuesday | November 10, 2026 | Dhaka

1,050 UPs to vote on 21 January

EC begins five-phase election process, with all polls to conclude by 27 May
 Staff Reporter
 Published: 12:01 AM, 09 November 2026

The Election Commission (EC) is set to begin the long-awaited local government election process with voting in 1,050 union parishads (PUs) on 21 January 2027, marking the first phase of a five-stage nationwide election programme.

Union parishads under upazila sadar areas will receive priority in the initial phase, while all parishads in an upazila whose elected bodies have completed their terms will be brought under the same phase, EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said on Sunday.

He disclosed the election plan while speaking to journalists at the Election Commission Secretariat in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, on 8 November.

Akhtar said the commission was working on the union parishad elections first, with preparations for other local government polls, including city corporation and upazila elections, to be addressed later.

Responding to a question, he ruled out the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in future elections. However, the commission has yet to decide how to deal with the machines currently in its possession.

Asked about the timelines for other local government elections, he said the EC would announce further details in due course.

The commission is also considering collecting information on citizens from the age of six to develop a comprehensive database and improve public services, the EC secretary said.

Under the proposed initiative, information submitted when children enrol in primary schools would be collected and incorporated into the National Identity Card (NID) database to facilitate their registration, he added.

On 12 October, the EC announced a five-phase schedule for union parishad elections, with the first round of voting set for 21 January 2027. The subsequent phases are scheduled for 4 February, 29 April, 13 May and 27 May.

Earlier in October, Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Mohammad Sanaullah said elections would be completed by 27 May 2027 in around 4,300 union parishads whose terms had expired or were due to expire during the election cycle.