The Election Commission has decided to complete polls to five city corporations before the next parliamentary election, which is expected to be held in December this year or early January next year.
A top-level source at the EC Secretariat said they were thinking of holding the Gazipur City Corporation polls towards the end of May. A meeting of the EC will be called soon to decide the schedules of the five city polls, which may be ready by the second week of April.
The EC is legally obliged to hold elections in the last 180 days of the outgoing corporation's five-year tenure.
Members of the Awami League nomination board told this correspondent that they would be able to finalize the party's candidates by the end of Ramadan if the EC announces the polls schedule soon.
Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to leave the country for the UK and Japan on April 25, and she will be out of the country till May 9, according to a highly placed source at the Prime Minister's Office.
Potential candidates of the Awami League, Jatiya Party and Islami Andolan Bangladesh are active in the field ahead of the election. They have been greeting the people of the city with posters, banners and festoons for several days.
On the other hand, the BNP, which is protesting for a non-partisan election-time government, will not field candidates in these elections. As a result, there is no activity among the BNP leaders and workers in the five cities regarding the city elections.
Possible timing of polls
In a meeting held early in March, the EC decided that the polls to the Gazipur, Rajshahi, Barisal, Sylhet, and Khulna city corporations would be held between May and June, before Eid-ul-Azha. CEC Kazi Habibul Awal presided over the meeting.
The commission took the decision to ensure that the polls did not interfere with the HSC and SSC exams, with the HSC exams set to begin on July 7. Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be used in all five polls.
As per the rules, the EC will have to hold Gazipur City Corporation polls between March 11 and September 10, Khulna City Corporation and Rajshahi City Corporation polls between April 13 and October 10, Barisal City Corporation polls between May 14 and November 13, and Sylhet City Corporation polls between May 6 and November 5.
Who are the mayoral candidates?
Local leaders and activists have already begun vying for nominations from the Awami League with the city corporation polls fast approaching.
There is little possibility of any surprise in the nomination of candidates for the polls. Among the 2018 candidates, Badruddin Ahmad Kamran has passed away, so there will be a new face in Sylhet.
Meanwhile, the previous candidates are getting party nominations in Rajshahi, Khulna and Barisal, party sources said.
However, Gazipur Mayor Jahangir Alam's party ticket is still uncertain.
The ruling party's top level has already inquired about the potential candidates of five cities ahead of the city corporation elections and, overall, the candidacy has almost been finalized.
After the announcement of the election schedule, the names of the mayoral candidates will be announced completing all formalities.
