EC makes it mandatory for municipal election candidates to submit copies of TIN certificates

Candidates for the upcoming municipality elections will have to submit copies of the certificates of their Tax Identification Numbers (TIN) along with other documents, according to Election Commission guidelines.

A set of guidelines on the nomination of candidates and their eligibility for the polls had been sent to the returning officers of the 236 municipalities going to the polls on Dec 30, said Rajib Ahsan, Assistant Secretary of the Election Commission (EC) Secretariat.

According to the election schedule, Dec 3 is the last day for filing nominations, which will be scrutinised on Dec 5 and 6. The last day for withdrawal of nominations is Dec 13.

Aspirants for the offices of mayor and councillors would also have to submit attested copies of their highest academic qualifications, Rajib said.

“Besides, the statement of estimated campaign expenses and source of funding, a copy of the TIN certificate, the tax return receipt, and wealth statement have to be submitted by each candidate.”

The EC official said the existing laws allow the incumbent mayors and teachers enlisted under the Monthly Pay Order to contest the polls while holding their respective posts. But in case of public servants, they first need to resign from their jobs to contest the elections.

Expenditure ceiling for a political party in each municipality has been restricted to Tk 100,000 and between Tk 100,000 and Tk 500,000 for a mayoral contender.

The spending limit for an aspirant councillor has been set at Tk 50,000-Tk 200,000.

The EC, meanwhile, has directed the local election and administration officials to remove all campaign materials put up by the aspiring candidates by Thursday midnight, Assistant Secretary Rajib said.

A party can nominate no more than one mayoral candidate in a municipality.

If it nominates multiple aspirants, the nominations of all its candidates will be declared null and void, says a circular signed by the Public Relations Director of the EC Secretariat SM Asaduzzaman on Wednesday.