Staff Reporter:
The Election Commission said on Thursday that it aimed to complete the upcoming Union Parishad (UP) polls by 6 June next year, considering the schedules of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations and the limited time available for holding local government polls.
Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah said the commission has yet to finalise the schedule and will work on the proposed timeline further after reviewing feedback received at a preparatory meeting with different ministries, departments and agencies.
“Everyone agreed that the Union Parishad election has to be completed by 6 June,” Sanaullah told reporters after the meeting at the Election Commission Secretariat.
He said the EC had initially prepared a tentative plan based on consultations with the relevant stakeholders, but it will now sit with the commission to examine whether the proposed phases and dates are feasible.
“We have not moved an inch from what we said earlier. We clearly said it was tentative, prepared on the basis of a pre-preparatory meeting and that it will be finalised after the 17 September meeting,” he said.
The commissioner said November and December have very limited gaps for holding elections, while some time will be available in January. The commission also has to take into account Ramadan which is expected to begin around 4-7 February, followed by the SSC examinations immediately after Ramadan.
The HSC examinations are scheduled to begin on 6 June, leaving the commission with a tight window to complete the UP polls, he said.
“We have to see how everyone can be accommodated within this tight window. Some additional sideline work and coordination are still necessary,” Sanaullah said.
