Disorganised Election Commission prepares for union council polls

The Election Commission has been preparing for the Union Parishad polls for long, but disorder in the preparations is unmistakably clear in its announcement of schedule.

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad was absent when Election Commissioner Md Shah Nawaz announced the electoral roadmap on Thursday.

The polls to the lowest tier of local government will be held in six phases from Mar 22 for the first time on party lines, according to the announcement.

The reporters had been waiting for the schedule at the commission since morning, but no official could say anything.

Commissioner Nawaz finally made the announcement at 2pm, but did not provide details.

Election Commission Secretary Md Sirazul Islam was in Gazipur to attend the national convention of the Ansar and Village Defence Party.

Asked about the details, many of the EC officials said they did not even know that the schedule was announced.

EC Public Relations Officer SM Asaduzzaman provided those in a news release later in the evening.

CEC Ahmad met President Md Abdul Hamid on Wednesday ahead of the announcement.

The EC media centre was also ready for the announcement from Ahmad.

When Nawaz made the announcement instead of Ahmad, his personal secretary went to spoeak to the commissioner.

“It’s an unprecedented incident,” an EC official told bdnews24.com requesting anonymity.

According to the EC, 752 union councils are going to polls on Mar 22 in the first phase.

The polls to another 710 councils will be held in the second phase on Mar 31.

The third phase will see polling in 711 unions on Apr 23, followed by balloting in 728 unions on May 7, and in another 714 unions on May 28. In the last phase, 660 unions will go to election on June 4.

But the EC is yet to say how many posts and voters are there in the union councils.