Dhaka: The government is set to enter discussions with the Election Commission next week to assess the preparations for the forthcoming local government elections, announced Mir Shahe Alam, the State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives, on Tuesday.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the state minister revealed during a conversation with reporters at the Secretariat that he intends to meet the Election Commission with the prime minister's approval to evaluate the current status of election preparations. "We may go to the Election Commission next week, with the honorable prime minister's approval, and discuss how far their preparations have progressed and what the situation is," stated Alam.
The minister emphasized that the Election Commission is responsible for announcing the election schedule and conducting the polls, while the government will offer the necessary support, as local government institutions fall under his ministry's purview. He further clarified that the ministry's role includes providing support concerning election expenses and managing matters related to the expiration of terms for local government bodies.
When questioned about the election schedule, Mir Shahe Alam indicated that specific details would be available from the Election Commission. He also mentioned that the government has already allocated funds for conducting five local government elections in the current fiscal year. "As I have said many times before, we have kept Tk 6,000 crore in the current fiscal year's budget required to hold these five elections," he added.