Union council polls likely to begin in January, says Election Commissioner Anwarul

The Election Commission has ruled out holding Union Parishad elections in November and December, citing school and public exams and the busy schedule of law-enforcing agencies.

It is now looking at starting the vote in January instead, Election Commissioner Anwarul Islam Sarker said on Thursday.

The EC's original blueprint had the vote unfolding in seven phases: Nov 12, Dec 13, Dec 30, Jan 17 next year, Feb 4 next year, Apr 22 and May 27.

But an inter-ministry meeting advised against holding the vote in November-December because of the exams, prompting a change in the EC's plan.

Anwarul said the delay was aimed at avoiding disruption to the studies of millions of students.

“There are annual exams and other matters in November and December, so we do not see an opportunity to hold elections then.”

“Hopefully, if the public examinations end in December, we will be able to hold the polls around January,” he added.

Following the inter-ministry meeting, all sides agreed to complete the elections by Jun 6.

Asked whether starting in January would leave enough time to cover roughly 4,500 councils by then, Anwarul said the commission would decide after weighing all factors, including Ramadan and the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations.

"I've mentioned a possible timeline, nothing is final yet. This is just a broad plan we've been considering; the specific dates will come once the schedule is announced," he said.

The commissioner added that the schedule would likely be announced in November if polling is to begin in January, since it needs to be declared at least 40 to 45 days in advance.

Asked whether the EC had changed its plan because of government pressure, Anwarul rejected the suggestion, saying the decision was based on the circumstances and the need to avoid disrupting students’ studies.

He also said law enforcers are deployed for public examinations, making it difficult to hold elections during the same period.