EC yet to decide on Dhaka city polls
With the tenures of the two Dhaka city corporations nearing to an end, the Election Commission is yet to make any decision on declaring the schedule for the next polls.
Tenures of the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) will expire on May 11 and May 14 next year respectively.
The elections should be held by between mid-December this year and mid-May next year.
The EC makes decisions on an election schedule at its meeting. It usually announces a polls schedule about 40-45 days ahead of the polling day.
Talking to The Daily Star, EC Senior Secretary Md Alamgir said they were yet to make a decision regarding the city polls. He said he was not sure when the decision would be taken.
According to the Local Government (city corporation) Act-2009, polls should be held within 180 days before the expiry of the tenure of the incumbent mayor. The tenure begins from the day of holding the first meeting of a city corporation.
The last polls to the two city corporations were held on April 28, 2015. The first meeting of the DNCC was held on May 12 and that of the DSCC on May 15 that year.
Top EC officials said they were waiting for a decision to start the activities for holding the next city polls. They said the EC would have to consider some issues for fixing a suitable polls schedule.
According to the officials, many schools in the capital will remain busy for their final exams and admission tests in December. Besides, they will be distributing free textbooks to all primary and secondary-level students.
The next year’s Secondary School Certificate exam will be held in February. The Higher Secondary School exam is scheduled to be held in April and May.
The DNCC has 54 wards and the the DSCC 75 wards. One councillor from each ward is elected directly.
In the April 2015 city polls, the Awami League-backed Annisul Huq and Sayeed Khokon were elected mayors of DNCC and DSCC respectively.
The DNCC mayoral post fell vacant following the death of Annisul on November 30, 2017.
Businessman Atiqul Islam was elected DNCC mayor in the by-election to the city corporation, held on February 28 this year. However, some major political parties, including the BNP, did not participate in the by-election.
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