The third phase polls to 83 upazila parishads would be held on March 15, Election Commissioner Md Shah Newaz said yesterday.
At a press conference, the commissioner made the announcement, and added that the upazila polls would be held in the posts of chairman, vice-chairman and vice-chairman posts reserved for women.
The last date of filing nomination paper is February 15 and the nomination would be scrutinised on February 17, while the last day of withdrawing nomination paper is February 24, sources said.
Shah Newaz also said the commission had decided to deploy sufficient number of army personnel in the upazila parishad polls and it would also deploy the necessary number of law enforcing agencies for holding the polls in a free and fair manner.
However, Senior Assistant Secretary Farhad Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune that the commission had sent a letter to the principle staff officer of Armed Forces Division formally to deploy army as striking force in the upazila polls. Army would be deployed for five days, he added.
In the first and second phases, the commission announced polls schedules for 102 and 117 upazilas which would be held on February 19 and 27. Meanwhile, of the first phase, polls at four upazila parishads had been postponed as the local government and rural development ministry decided to re-fix the demarcation of Rangpur sadar, Kaunia, Gangachar and Pirgacha upazilas.
EC officials said the commission had also decided to hold the fourth phase upazila polls on March 25, fifth phase on March 31 and sixth phase on May 3. The education ministry had sent a letter to the commission saying that there would be no objection for holding the polls on those dates.
The commission will sit for a meeting on law and order situation of upazila polls with the returning officers, district election officers, deputy commissioners, police supers and representatives of the law enforcing agencies on February 12.
The meeting is scheduled to be held at 11am at National Economic Council conference, sources said.
Earlier, the meeting was scheduled to be held on February 6.
