National election: EC seeks progress reports on polling station repairs

The Election Commission has requested the government to provide progress reports on the repair and renovation of polling station structures that are likely to be used in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

The EC today (16 June) sent an urgent letter to six government officials --four secretaries and two chief engineers -- seeking updates on the progress of repair and renovation works to be sent within one month.

The six officials are the senior secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division, the secretaries of the Primary and Mass Education Ministry, the Technical and Madrasah Education Division and the LGRD and Cooperatives Ministry, and the chief engineers of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and the Education Engineering Department (EED).

"Information on the progress of renovation activities of the facilities to be used as polling stations for the upcoming parliamentary elections is particularly needed. It is requested to collect the information and send it to the Election Commission Secretariat by July 17," reads the letter signed by EC Deputy Secretary Dewan Md Sarwar Jahan.

Referring to a previous letter sent in April last to the same authorities, the Election Commission said some educational institutions used as polling stations in the last general election or might be used in the next elections do not have boundary walls or their doors and windows are in dilapidated condition. So, the EC instructed the ministries or divisions concerned to carry out minor repairs or renovations at the educational institutions with their own funds.

There were more than 44,000 polling stations in the 12th Parliamentary Election (held in January, 2024), over 40,000 polling stations in the 11th parliamentary election (December, 2018) and nearly 38 polling stations in the 10th parliamentary election (January, 2014).