Dhaka: State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam on Tuesday stated that the government is not aware of the Election Commission's announcement regarding the schedule for the Union Parishad (UP) elections.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the state minister expressed his surprise during a discussion with reporters at the Secretariat. He mentioned that, similar to the general public, the Local Government Ministry learned about the Election Commission's announcement through newspapers, social media, and television reports. He clarified that the government had received no official correspondence or engaged in any discussions concerning the election schedule.
Mir Shahe Alam emphasized that the Election Commission operates as an independent constitutional entity with the authority to oversee elections. However, he noted that typically, for some local government elections, the Election Commission announces the schedule after consulting with the government and conducting preparatory meetings or law-and-order committee meetings. He also highlighted that budget allocation is among the issues usually discussed in these meetings.
The announcement of the election schedule by the Election Commission was made on Monday afternoon by Election Commissioner (retd) Brig Gen Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah. He informed reporters that the first phase of the Union Parishad elections, covering 80 upazilas, is scheduled for November 12. The elections are planned to be executed in seven phases, with the initial phase covering specific upazilas in Chattogram, Cumilla, and other districts with 10 or more upazilas.