The Election Commission has decided to announce the long-awaited union parishad election schedule within this month. To maintain austerity and account for students’ exam schedules, however, the elections will be held in phases rather than all at once.
Election Commissioner Anwarul Islam Sarkar shared the information while speaking with journalists at his office in Agargaon on Sunday.
He said that, as part of the local government election momentum building nationwide, the union parishad election schedule could be announced by the end of this month. Noting that holding elections in all of the country’s unions simultaneously is quite difficult from an economic and administrative standpoint, he said voting would be held in phases across all union parishads, in line with the government’s austerity policy.
Calling November and December a critical exam period for students, the election commissioner said schools typically serve as polling stations and teachers serve as presiding and polling officers. To protect students’ studies and exam environment, he said, union parishad election dates would be set either before or after the exam period, avoiding it entirely.
Speaking with journalists, the election commissioner also said the commission has issued a direct negative observation regarding the participation of MPO-listed teachers in politics.