EC plans first phase of UP polls in 1,050 unions on January 21

The Election Commission (EC) plans to hold the first phase of the upcoming local government elections in around 1,050 union parishads (UPs) on January 21.

EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed shared the plan while speaking to journalists at the Election Commission building in Dhaka on Sunday.

He said preparations were under way to hold elections in approximately 1,050 UPs in the first phase, considering the expiry of their terms and their readiness for polls.

The EC plans to complete elections in most of the country's nearly 4,500 UPs in the first two phases. The remaining phases will cover fewer unions, the secretary said.

He added that the final list of UPs for the first phase would be completed by Thursday.

The commission is preparing a preliminary list and has sent it to field-level officials for verification, including checks for pending cases and boundary-related complications. All UPs in a single upazila will go to the polls simultaneously, he said.

The EC is also preparing election materials, finalising the voter list and making arrangements to print three types of ballot papers.

According to the proposed schedule, the second phase of voting will take place on February 4, the third on April 29, the fourth on May 13 and the fifth on May 27.

The respective district election officers will announce the election schedules for the UPs in their areas.

sks