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Holding five local government elections could cost around Tk6,000 crore, Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives State Minister Mir Shahe Alam has said.
Speaking to journalists at the Local Government Ministry on Wednesday, he said the Election Commission had given the government a tentative estimate of Tk6,000 crore for completing the five elections. The figure could vary, he added.
Of the estimated cost, around Tk2,700–2,800 crore would be required for union parishad elections and Tk2,200–2,300 crore for upazila elections. Elections to municipalities and city corporations would require comparatively less funding, he said.
Asked about the timing, Shahe Alam said he did not think the local government elections were likely to begin this year, based on the Election Commission’s recent statements. The commission has indicated that the elections should be completed by June 6 next year, according to reports.
He said an inter-ministerial meeting had taken an initial decision and another meeting would be held at the end of September or in the first week of October to reach a final decision.
The state minister said the government wants the elections completed within the current fiscal year but would leave the Election Commission to decide when to begin them, as the commission is responsible for conducting the polls.
