The sixth and final phase of Union Parishad elections will be held on January 31, the Election Commission announced today.

A total of 219 union parishads across the country will go to polls in the sixth phase.

All the elections will be held using electronic voting machine, Election Commission's Secretary Humayun Kabir Khandaker said while announcing the election schedule after an EC meeting at its office in the capital.

According to the schedule, candidates for the posts of chairman, member and reserved seats for women will be able to submit their nominations to the returning officers till January 3.

The evaluation of nomination papers will be held on January 6 and the last date for withdrawal of candidacy is January 13.

A total of 707 union parishads will go to polls on January 5 in the fifth phase. Elections to 840 union parishads will be held on December 26 in the fourth phase. Some 1,000 UPs went to the third phase election on November 28.

A total of 833 union parishads went to the polls in the second phase on November 11. In the first phase, elections were held in 204 UPs on June 21 and 160 UPs on September 20. The EC held the first phase of elections on two dates due to Covid-19.