The Election Commission on Tuesday announced a 36-day timeline for elections to 3,813 union parishads in 414 upazilas across the country starting on May 31.
‘A committee comprising the deputy commissioner, election officers and upazila executive officers for each district would set the dates for polling in between May 31 and July 5 in the union parishads under their jurisdiction,’ chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda said at a press conference at the commission secretariat.
According to the timeline, aspirants could submit nomination papers in May 5-June 9, which would be scrutinised in May 7- June 11. The last date for withdrawal of nomination papers is any day in between May 15 and June 19.
The number of union parishads in the country is 4,550. Polls to 553 union parishads were held in the first phase in March 29-April 3 this year amid stray incidents of violence. Polling to some unions would not be possible at the moment due to legal complexities, said an election official. The last union parishad polls were held in 2003.
The CEC urged aspirant candidates to remove graffiti, posters and banners and stop distributing leaflets by April 22 to avoid nomination papers being cancelled.
Shamsul Huda urged aspirant candidates to open a fresh account with any scheduled bank before submitting nomination papers to keep record of polls
related expenditure and to strictly follow theceiling of the election expenditure.
‘Candidates for chairman will have to maintain the electoral expenditures through their respective bank accounts and statements of the accounts will have to be attached during submission of returns,’ he said.
According to rules, on the basis of number of voters, ceiling of the poll expenditure will be fixed at maximum Tk 5 lakh for chairman candidates whereas it is Tk one lakh for member candidates.
Courtesy of New Age
