The Election Commission will hold the first phase of upazila parishad polls using the same polling centres and booths from the recently held 10th parliamentary polls.
The commission has finalised 6,992 polling centres and 44,225 polling booths at 98 upazilas for holding the polls on February 19, a deputy secretary of the EC told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
The decision to use the same polling centres as the national election was made because of the shortness of time, he added.
However, the commission would publish the final list of polling centres and booths after ending objection by February, he added.
In the first phase, 16,477,660 voters are expected to cast their votes.
According to the list of polling centres, Sirajganj had the most number of polling centres, 474, while Mohonpur upazila in Rajshahi had the lowest number of 42 centres.
Following scrutiny by returning officers, nominations were cancelled for 112 hopefuls out of 1,720 who applied for the posts of chairman, vice-chairman and reserved posts of vice-chairman for women.
The people whose nominations were cancelled can appeal to the commission, while the EC would hold appeal hearings before the last date of nomination withdrawal, said EC officials.
The cancelled nominations included 41 out of 692 candidates for the post of upazila chairman, 48 nominations out of 660 for vice-chairman post and 23 nominations out of 380 for the post of vice-chairman for women.
According to the first phase schedule, the last date of withdrawing nomination is February 3.
The second phase of the poll in 117 upazilas would be held on February 27.
A five-member delegation of the Election Working Group (EWG) yesterday met with Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad to discuss about observing the upazila parishad poll.