Polls in N'ganj, Comilla cities likely in December

The Election Commission (EC) has decided in principle to hold election to Narayanganj and Comilla city corporations on the same day in the third week of December.

The EC took the decision at a meeting yesterday, a highly placed EC source told the news agency, wishing not to be anonymous.

He, however, said the final decision about the election schedules will be taken next week.

“The election schedules for the two city corporations are likely to be announced in early November,” he added.

Polls to the city corporations are going to be held at the far end of the current commission headed by Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, as its five-year tenure will expire in February next.

The five-year tenure of Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) will complete on December 27 while that of Comilla City Corporation on February 9.

The EC has a legal obligation to complete the polls to a city corporation within the last 180 days of its tenure.

With this, any city corporation election is going to be arranged along party line for the first time in the country according to the Local Government (city corporation) Act 2009, which was amended in November 2015 paving the way for political parties to field candidates alongside independent contestants for the mayoral post.

Earlier the countrywide municipal and union parishad elections were held along the party line.

The NCC went to election on October 30, 2011 when Dr Selina Hayat Ivy was elected the country's first female city mayor.

Comilla City Corporation went to polls on January 5, 2012 when BNP-backed mayoral candidate Monirul Islam Sakku came out victorious.