First phase of upazila polls to be held on May 8

The first phase of upazila parishad elections to 152 upazilas will be held on May 8. 

The Election Commission announced the polls schedule on Thursday. 

The announcement came after a meeting presided by Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal at the conference room of Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital’s Agargaon at 11am. 

After the meeting, EC Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath said the last date for submitting nomination papers is April 15, while the date for scrutinising nomination papers is April 17, and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is April 22.

The elections to 22 upazilas will be held using the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and the polls to the rest of the upazilas will be held using ballot papers.

Notably, the first election for the upazila parishads was held in 1985.