Aspiring candidates of the upcoming upazila parishad poll finished submitting their nomination papers yesterday, setting up the stage for a tough battle at the ballots at the grassroots level.
On the final day of submission deadline for the first phase of polls to 98 upazila parishads, candidates from different political parties including the Awami League and the BNP handed in their nomination forms to contend for seats at functional autonomous local governments.
A festive election mood was persisting at the grassroots level in the polling areas, with the candidates leading peaceful processions yesterday to the upazila election offices for handing in their nominations.
Enthusiasm was also sky-high at the places where lawmakers were elected uncontested in the January 5 national poll. Many districts have also seen election hopefuls holding meetings and attending cultural programmes in their respective localities.
Meanwhile, the self-claimed “non-political” radical Islamist platform Hefazat-e-Islam also submitted nomination papers for chairman and vice chairman posts in Hathazari upazila of Chittagong.
The Hefazat-backed candidate for the chairman post is Md Hasanullah and for the vice chairman posts the candidates are Nasiruddin and Atikur Rahman.
Although the upazila parishad election is a non-party poll, the participation of both Awami League and BNP is expected to compensate for the excitement that lacked in the recently concluded national poll, which was boycotted by BNP and its allies.
Voters will exercise their franchise to elect one chairman and two vice-chairmen including one woman for each upazila parishad.
According to the Election Commission, the polls of 98 upazila parishads from 40 districts will be held on February 19, while the second phase will be held in 117 upazilas from 52 districts on February 27.
The last election to 479 upazila parishads was held on January 22, 2009.
The tenure of more than 100 parishads is set to expire in February, while most of the other parishads would run out their tenures in May, according to the EC.
As per the electoral laws, polls to the upazila parishads are held prior to 180 days before their tenure expires.