Elections of Dhaka North City Corporation and Dhaka South City Corporation will be held on January 30, the Election Commission has said.
After a commission meeting, chief election commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda on Sunday declared the polls schedule of these two city corporation at a press conference held at Nirbachan Bhaban in the city’s Agargaon area.
According to the polls schedule, the last date of filing nomination paper is December 31 and the nomination paper will be scrutinized till January 2. The last date of withdrawing nomination paper is January 9.
Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) would be used at all centres in the two city corporation. Two personnel of armed force will be deployed at each polling booth.
For the first time, half core of the voters of the Dhaka city will franchise their voting rights through EVMs for the post of mayor and councilor post in the elections.
However, the CEC said if two running mayors want to contest the polls, they must resign from their post.
The EC has appointed joint secretary of commission Abul Kashem as returning officer for the DNCC and joint secretary and director (Operations, NID wing) Abdul Baten as returning officer for DSCC polls.
The CEC asked the authority concerned to remove all kinds of campaigning related posters, banners and billboards from the city within 48 hours. If anyone violates the order, the commission will take stern action against them.
According to the schedule, 30, 35, 621 voters in DNCC and 23, 67, 488 voters in the DSCC will cast their vote during the polls.
Meanwhile, 180-day countdown for the EC to complete elections has already started as the tenure of the current mayor and councilors of Dhaka North City Corporation will end on May 13, 2020, while the tenure of DSCC mayor and councilors will end on May 16, 2020.
The Dhaka North and South City Corporations polls were held on April 28, 2015.
During the non-partisan polls, Awami League backed Annisul Huq of DNCC and Sayed Khokon of DSCC were elected as mayor in the polls.
After the death of Annisul Huq, AL candidate Atiqul Islam was elected mayor with party symbol ‘Boat’. The EC amended the laws of using party symbols in local body polls. Earlier, the commission held a meeting for fixing the polls date considering the SSC and HSC examinations.
