The long-overdue elections to city corporations, upazila parishads and municipalities are unlikely to get underway within the next one year as Election Commission prioritises completing Union Parishad polls – the lowest tier of local government mainly covering rural areas – amid a crowded calendar.
An EC senior official said the commission has no plan to hold elections to other local government institutions before completing UP polls, which it aims to finish by June next year.
“After completing the UP elections, the commission will arrange elections to other local government bodies. Therefore, the longer the UP election schedule is delayed, the longer the other elections will also be delayed,” the official told TIMES.
Stakeholders at an inter-ministerial meeting on Thursday flagged several hurdles to holding UP elections this year, citing annual examinations, national programmes, Family Card distribution and law enforcement constraints.
The concerns mean that while EC is preparing to arrange UP polls, elections to other local government bodies may face further delays.
At the meeting held at EC, officials from different ministries and law enforcement agencies presented their operational challenges and suggested that the election schedule be fixed after considering their ongoing programmes, according to sources.
EC sources said elections are due in 13 city corporations, 330 municipalities, 495 upazila parishads and 61 district councils.
Previously, these institutions went to polls at different times as their terms ended separately. This time, many local government bodies have become eligible for elections around the same period, forcing the commission to conduct polls in phases.
UP polls key to local election roadmap
Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud told the meeting that UP elections need to be held quickly as other local government elections are also pending.
He said elections to city corporations, upazila parishads and municipalities would have to be arranged after UP polls, with many of these institutions already ready for elections.
“Completing all these elections will require considerable time,” he told the meeting, urging the relevant ministries and agencies to provide their recommendations to EC quickly.
Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin also sought cooperation from all stakeholders, similar to the national election, and asked concerned officials to submit their views without delay.
Calendar crunch creates UP poll hurdles
Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani highlighted the government’s priority Family Card and Farmer Card distribution programmes at the meeting.
He said the government was passing a busy period with these initiatives and had planned to distribute cards among a large number of people this year. He also pointed out the limitations of holding elections alongside these activities.
The Education Ministry informed the meeting that annual examinations at educational institutions across the country would continue from November to December.
A ministry representative said the Junior Scholarship Examination would also be held during the period, while schools, teachers and employees have significant involvement in election activities.
Holding elections during this period would therefore be difficult, the representative said.
The ministry also pointed out that SSC examinations are scheduled for February next year and HSC examinations will begin in early June, suggesting that the election schedule should be fixed after considering all factors.
Law enforcement agencies also raised concerns over November and December, citing national days, government programmes and ongoing training of newly recruited police personnel.
Sources said the agencies informed the meeting that additional time would be needed to complete the training process.
Limited window before exams, Ramadan
Although the government aims to complete UP elections by June next year, EC is facing a narrow window due to examinations and other national activities.
After the meeting, Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah said all participants agreed that UP elections should be completed before the HSC examinations.
However, no final decision was taken on Thursday on whether the elections would be held in November or December.
“We have received the necessary data. We will now sit at the commission and then decide specifically,” he said.
Asked about the possibility of holding UP elections in November-December, Sanaullah said, “Can I say that alone now? We have received the data. We will now sit at the commission and then decide specifically.”
He said almost the entire period of November and December is occupied with various examinations.
“Some time will be available in January. After that, Ramadan is likely to begin on 7 or 8 February. The SSC examinations will start soon after Ramadan ends, followed by HSC examinations from 6 June,” he said.
Therefore, the available time for elections is very limited.
“We have very tight space this time. We need to do some more sideline work on how we can accommodate everything within this tight schedule,” Sanaullah said.
He said the election date would be announced as soon as possible after completing necessary coordination and budget planning.
The EC secretary will complete coordination at staff and secretary levels before the election schedule is finalised after discussion at a commission meeting.
Just days after Election Commission announced a tentative seven-phase schedule to begin Union Parishad elections, it stepped back following a strong reaction from the government.
The move drew sharp criticism from opposition parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party, which questioned the government’s commitment to prioritising local government elections.
Most top and mid-tier local government bodies became vacant following the ouster of the Awami League government in a mass uprising in August 2024.
Since then, these institutions have been run by administrators – first appointed by the then interim government and later replaced by the elected BNP government, mostly with party leaders.
