bdnews24.com, Dhaka
The long-overdue Dhaka City Corporation elections will be held in April, chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda said on Wednesday.
EC officials say they are likely to be held in the second week of April.
“We are thinking of holding them in April, but before fixing the schedule we will take the opinion of local government authorities,” Huda told reporters at the EC secretariat.
The deadline for holding the DCC elections expired on May 14, 2007, during the caretaker government’s tenure.
Deputy election commissioner of Dhaka division Biswas Lutfur Rahman told bdnews24.com, “The total number of voters of 90 wards is 35,25,459 with 1,970 voting centres and 8,794 polling booths.”
Saying that a list of probable voting centres is available at the office of the ward commissioner, Rahman said. “Any objection aga-inst any centres will have to be communicated by February 25.”
EC officials said that the EC is gathering information from the ministry of education to fix possible timetable for the election.
The time between SSC and HSC exams is deemed the good time for holding the election, they said.
SSC exams are running from Feb 15 up to March 15 and HSC exams are likely to begin from April 15, education ministry have infor-med the EC.
Preparations are underway to declare the election schedule in the first week of March, said officials.
The EC could hold the DCC election by April 15, they added.
The tenure of the Chit-tagong City Corporation mayor and councillors will expire on May 9, 2010.
Meanwhile, the EC has yet to receive any opinion from political parties on the possible schedule for the election to reserved women’s seats.
The EC sought opinions from Awami League, BNP and Jatiya Party by Feb 18.
A tentative schedule for this election has been put forward as last date for submitting nominations on Feb 26, scrutiny on March 1, deadline for withdrawals March 5, and election on March 22. By-election to seven parliamentary seats will be held March 30 and postponed elections in six Upazila on April 6.
Courtesy of www.thebangladeshtoday.com
