The Election Commission has decided to deploy army Border Guard Bangladesh, Coast Guard, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and police as striking and mobile forces in the upazila poll.
However, officials of different intelligence agencies told the EC that they saw no possibility of violence in the upazila parishad polls as candidates of all political parties will join the election race.
Army was deployed for five days in the third upazila parishads polls.
The commission will this time deploy 14 security personnel at each polling centre. But 15 lawmen will be posted at each vulnerable centre while 17 at each centre of the Chittagong Hill Tracts and Haor areas.
The EC held a meeting with principle staff officer of the Armed Forced Division, representatives of law enforcing agencies, intelligence agencies yesterday on the upazila parishads polls.
A senior EC official who was present at the meeting said members of intelligence agencies assured of violence-free upazila polls.
The armed forces (Army and Navy) will remain deployed for five days from February 17 to 21 as striking force as the first phase of the polls to 102 upazila parishads will be held on February 19, the official said.
117 upazila polls on February 27
The second phase polls to 117 upazila parishads will be held on February 27, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddih Ahmad yesterday announced.
Electorates will elect their chairmen, vice-chairmen and vice-chairmen for the reserved seats for women in the upazila parishad polls.
The last date of filing nomination is February 2 and the nomination will be scrutinised on February 4 while the last day of withdrawing nomination is February 11.
“As the commission has a bad experience with the violence-infested parliamentary polls it has decided to deploy army in the upazila polls,”he said.
When asked about whether union parishad chairman, mayor of municipality and upazila parishads could participate in the polls without resigning their posts the CEC said they could but they could not use any facilities of local administration during the polls.
However, EC officials said the commission had decided to hold polls to 74 upazila parishads on March 15, 72 upazilas on March 25, 65 upazilas on March 31 and 57 upazila parishads on May 3.
Polls to four upazila parishads were postponed as the local government and rural development ministry decided to re-fix the demarcation of Rangpur sadar, Kaunia, Gangachar and Pirgacha upazila parishads.