The election commission is likely to announce the schedule for the second phase of upazila polls sometime this week, with the probable dates of election ranging between the last week of February and the first week of March.
“The commission is bound by law to hold elections before the tenure of an upazila parishad expires. We already announced the poll-schedule for parishads nearing their expiry dates and will announce the schedule for the second phase in a day or two,” Election Commissioner Md Shah Newaz said yesterday.
“The second phase of polls will be held either in the last week of February or the first week of March,” he said, narrowing down the list of possible dates to February 27-28 and March 1-2.
The commission made ana announcement on Sunday stating that the first phase of polls for102 upazila parishads out of 487 would be held on February 19.
The second phase will include polls in over 100 upazilas while polls for some upazilas will be held in the third week of March.
The third phase of polls, with the remaining upazilas, may occur sometime in the third week of May, the commissioner added.
In deciding election dates, the commission is keeping in mind the dates of SSC examinations so that students do not run into snags resulting from a schedule clash.
According to the electoral laws, polls to the upazila parishads must be held within 180 days before their terms expire. The five-year term starts with the first meeting of the respective upazila parishad.
In the last upazila parishad polls held in 2009, Awami League-backed candidates won a landslide victory by bagging around 400 posts of chairpersons.
