EC gearing up for city polls by September

The Election Commission is preparing to hold city corporation polls in Barishal, Gazipur, Khulna, Rajshahi, and Sylhet between June and September ahead of the next national election. 

Electronic Voting Machines and CCTV cameras will be used in the city polls if the funds and equipment are available.

The EC on February 20 sought budgetary allocation of Tk 3,954 crore to meet the expenses of the upcoming parliamentary and local government elections,officials said.

"We want to hold at least two city elections in early June and the rest by September," Election Commissioner Md Alamgir said yesterday.

"Since we have to conduct national election in late December this year or in early January, we will try to hold the city election early," he added.

The EC is legally obliged to hold election to a city corporation in the last 180 days of the corporation's five-year tenure.

The EC will have to hold Gazipur City Corporation polls between March 11 and September 10, Khulna City Corporation and Rajshahi City Corporation polls between April 13 and October 10, Barishal City Corporation polls between May 14 and November 13, and Sylhet City Corporation polls between May 6 and November 5.

Ruling Awami League leaders Talukder Abdul Khaleque was elected mayor of Khulna city on May 15, 2018, and Zahangir Alam of Gazipur city on June 26, 2018.

AL leaders AHM Khairuzzaman Liton and Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah and BNP leader Ariful Haque Chowdhury were elected mayors of Rajshahi, Barishal and Sylhet cities respectively. All three elections were held on July 30, 2018.