Fourth phase municipality elections on Sunday

Voting will be conducted in 55 municipalities in the fourth phase of the municipality elections on Sunday.

Electronic voting machines (EVM) will be used in 29 out of the 55 municipalities in 34 districts. Voting will be held from 8am to 4pm without any break.

Like the previous three phases, this phase of the municipality elections is going to be held amid a possibility of violence. In some areas, clashes have taken place already.

The election in Kalkini municipality in Madaripur was postponed after a clash between the supporters of the opposing candidates took place there recently, said sources at the Election Commission.

However, the Election Commission has expressed its hope that voting in this phase will be fair and peaceful.

Election Commission Secretary Md Humayun Kabir Khandaker told reporters, "We have taken all kinds of preparation for a free, fair and credible election and asked all election related officials to realise it."

In this phase, 217 mayoral candidates, 2,070 general councillor candidates and 618 reserved seat candidates will be contesting in 55 municipalities.

The voting was supposed to be held in 56 municipalities, but the election at Parshuram municipality of Feni will not be held as all the candidates there were elected unopposed.

Polls have been completed in 146 municipalities in the first three phases which were held on 28 December, 2020, 16 January, 2021 and 30 January, 2021.

Election in the Natore municipality was supposed to be held in a previous phase, but the High Court issued an order to suspend it until an area relate dispute there is resolved.

The fifth phase of the municipality election is scheduled to be held on 28 February in 31 municipalities, and a proposal has been made to the Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda to conduct election in the rest of the municipalities on 7 April.

Bangladesh has 328 municipalities in total.