EC looking for right time for Dhaka, Chittagong city corporations polls

The Election Commission (EC) is still looking for a ‘suitable date’ to hold the elections to the city corporations of Dhaka (North and South) and Chittagong.

The EC is considering to hold the three major city polls in a single day before the HSC and equivalent exams and Ramadan this year.
 
The decision will be finalised after discussions with the education ministry, says Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad.
 
The Commission is also not planning to deploy the army during these city corporation polls, he says. That has never been done in the past.
 
But the decision to deploy the other law-enforcement agencies will be taken after the elections’ schedules are announced, Ahmad said.
 
He hopes the current turbulent political situation in Bangladesh caused by the violent blockades and shutdown being enforced by the BNP and its allies will give way to a more stable situation for polls to be held.
 
Briefing the press on Sunday at the EC’s Media Centre, the CEC said they wanted all political parties to join the polls, but would not wait for anyone if they do not confirm participation in time.
 
No polls for the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC)  has been held in the last eight years.
 
The last election to the undivided DCC was held in 2002, with its term ending in May 2007.
 
In November 2011, the DCC was split into two -- South and North.
 
The boundary demarcation gazette recently has cleared all hurdles and the DCC polls can now be organised.
 
The time for Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) election is also approaching. The election will have to be held before Ramadan starts in June. 
 
The EC plans to hold all three elections by June this year.

“We are taking both the HSC exams and Ramadan into considerations while fixing a suitable date to hold the elections. For this, we’ll have to discuss with the education ministry,” said Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad on Sunday.
 
This year’s SSC and equivalent examinations have started from Feb 2. But the exams are continuously deferred due to the nationwide transport blockade and shutdowns.
 
The HSC exams are slated to begin from Apr 1 and will continue until June 11.
 
The CEC said they were considering to hold the elections to the DCCs and CCC on the same day; “but no final decision on this matter has been taken yet”, he said.
 
He, however, cited holding four city corporation elections in a single day and said holding the DCC and CCC polls would not be problem.
 
The city corporation elections in Barisal, Sylhet, Khulna and Rajshahi were held simultaneously on June 15 in 2013.

Ahmad said the voters lists in the capital was being updated.

The poll centres will be finalised after that. "We will announce the schedule thereafter," he said.

“We’ll try to do that very soon,” he added.