A disagreement has broken out between the Election Commission (EC) and the government over when the upcoming Union Parishad (UP) elections should take place.
The dispute arose after the Ministry of Local Government stated that it was not consulted about the proposed seven-phase voting dates, while the EC maintained that the schedule is only tentative and will be finalised following an inter-ministerial meeting.
Earlier on Monday, Election Commissioner Md Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah disclosed that a preliminary meeting was held to prepare for local body polls, where an initial decision was made to hold the UP elections across seven phases.
According to the tentative schedule, voting is set to begin on 12 November for the first phase, followed by the second phase on 13 December, the third phase on 30 December, the fourth phase on 17 January next year, the fifth phase on 4 February, the sixth phase on 22 April, and the seventh phase on 27 May.
However, speaking to journalists at the Secretariat on Tuesday, State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam said the government was entirely unaware of the proposed timeline.
He noted that the ministry only learned about the multi-phase dates through newspapers, social media, and television, adding that no written correspondence or discussions of any other kind had taken place with the government.
While acknowledging that the EC is an independent body with constitutional powers to conduct elections, the state minister emphasised that standard procedure requires holding preparatory meetings, consulting the government, and conferring with law enforcement agencies prior to declaring election dates.
He pointed out that budget allocations and other logistical factors are involved, reiterating that no discussions had taken place with the Ministry of Local Government or the government.
Rebuffing claims of a finalised schedule, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud told TIMES of Bangladesh that the dates had not been locked in.
He explained that while the authority to hold elections belongs to the EC, preparatory matters concerning local body polls are typically discussed with the Secretariat.
Asked whether the government had been consulted on the proposed timeline, Masud remarked, “I have not spoken to anyone. Usually, discussions take place with the Secretariat about this.”
When asked about the state minister’s statement, Masud advised speaking directly to the EC Secretary, describing him as “the competent man to give an accurate answer”.
He stressed that the announced dates are “tentative” and that feedback will be gathered during an inter-ministerial meeting on 17 September, after which the schedule will be finalised.
