Govt plans swift local elections, new adm divs proposed: LGRD Minister

Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir informed Parliament on Monday that the government is preparing to initiate local body elections as soon as possible.

Addressing a question-and-answer session, the Minister confirmed that the electoral process for local government institutions is currently under active consideration.

Responding to an inquiry from MP Zahirul Islam, the Minister stated that necessary preparations are being finalized to begin the polls. In a separate response to MP Rumeen Farhana, he explained that local elections are typically conducted in phases, often taking up to a year to complete. 

Factors such as voter list updates, procurement of materials, religious festivals, public exams, and weather conditions influence the scheduling, with a minimum of 45 days required once a formal schedule is announced.

A significant policy shift was also highlighted regarding voting technology. The Minister informed MP Shamshur Rahman Shimul Biswas that the Election Commission has decided to discontinue the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in all future national and local elections. 

He noted that a project worth over Taka 3,825 crore for the purchase of 150,000 EVMs is currently under audit and investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) due to allegations of irregularities.

The parliamentary session also touched on administrative restructuring. Minister Alamgir revealed that the Public Administration Reform Commission has formally recommended the creation of two new administrative divisions: Faridpur and Cumilla. 

The proposed Faridpur division is set to include five districts currently under Dhaka: Faridpur, Madaripur, Rajbari, Gopalganj, and Shariatpur. 

A final decision on the formation of these divisions will be made during an upcoming meeting of the National Implementation Committee for Administrative Reorganization (NICAR).