Play store
Local government elections are unlikely to be held this year, State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam said Wednesday.
He said the Election Commission (EC) plans to complete all local government elections by June 6 next year, taking into account annual examinations at educational institutions, SSC examinations and Ramadan.
The state minister made the remarks while answering questions from journalists at a briefing at the Secretariat on Wednesday. He said the EC is expected to hold another meeting at the end of September or in the first week of October to finalise the dates and schedule for the local polls.
The elections are expected to be held in five phases. The EC has made a preliminary estimate of around Tk6,000 crore for conducting the polls, according to the state minister.
Of the estimated amount, Tk2,700-2,800 crore could be required for Union Parishad elections and Tk2,200-2,300 crore for Upazila Parishad elections. The remaining funds would be spent on elections to municipalities and city corporations.
The state minister said the government has kept the necessary funds ready for conducting the elections.
The EC earlier abandoned its tentative plan to hold local government elections in November and December this year after reassessing the election windows in light of examination schedules and other constraints. It now aims to complete the polls before June 6 next year.