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Dhaka City corporations’ election

Schedule Dec 22, polls in January


Published : 18 Dec 2019 10:08 PM | Updated : 03 Sep 2020 09:38 AM

The election schedule of two city corporations in Dhaka is likely to be announced on December 22, according to sources. “On December 22, a meeting will be held at the Nirbachan Bhaban in order to announce the election schedule. Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda will preside over the meeting. He will announce the election schedule of two city corporations”, a senior official of election commission secretariat told Bangladesh post on Wednesday.

The Election Commission (EC) will sit in a meeting on December 22 to finalise the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) election. The election is likely to be held on January last where voters of the existing electoral roll will exercise their franchises on electronic voting machines, sources also said.

Representatives from law enforcement agencies, education ministry, home ministry and local government division will attend the meeting at the Election Commission. The security measures will be also discussed in the meeting whereas top officials of Police, Rab, BGB and Ansar, and the Armed Force Division will also attend.

It is known that the government is trying to hold elections of two city corporations in Dhaka before ‘Mujib Barsho’ or Mujib Year which will begin in March 2020, according to sources. The ‘Mujib Year’ will stretch from 17 March 2020 to 17 March 2021, marking the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Earlier on December 10, Election Commission Secretary Md Alamgir said that they would fix the election dates by the end of December. At a press briefing on November 3, the Election Commission Secretary Md Alamgir announced that the elections to DNCC and DSCC would be held on the same day in the mid or last part of January.

He also told reporters that day that the Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) election was not due before 9 February 2020, and they were yet to decide on related issues. State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain also told reporters on December 4, “Polls in DNCC, DSCC and CCC will be held in due time.”

“Apparently, schedules for the Dhaka city elections will be declared this month, and the polls are expected to be held in January. Following which, the CCC election will be held.” The last DNCC, DSCC, and CCC polls were held on 28 April 2015.

The first meeting of the DNCC was held on May 14, DSCC on May 17, and CCC on August 6, of the same year. As per the Local Government (City Corporation) Act, 2009, election will be held within 180 days before the expiry of the tenure which starts from the day of the first meeting.