Union Parishad polls now planned from January, says Election Commission

The Election Commission (EC) plans to begin Union Parishad (UP) elections in the first week of January 2027 and to complete them by 6 June, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said on 1 October.

The new plan

According to the commission, about 2,000 union parishads could hold elections in three phases before the month of Ramadan, with the remaining polls held afterwards. Around 4,272 of the country's 4,580 union parishads need elections because of a legal requirement to hold polls within 180 days of the end of their term. The election schedule will be announced 40 to 45 days before the first phase.

The commission has also revised the election rules. A chairman candidate must now pay a security deposit of Tk 25,000 and a member candidate Tk 5,000. The spending limit is Tk 10 lakh for a chairman candidate and Tk 2 lakh for a member candidate.

How the timetable changed

On 14 September, Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah announced a tentative seven-phase plan beginning on 12 November. The next day, EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said the schedule was purely preliminary. State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam said the government had not been informed of the proposed dates.

At a coordination meeting with ministries and agencies on 17 September, the commission discussed clashes with the school calendar. Commissioner Sanaullah said participants agreed the elections should, as far as possible, be finished before 6 June, when the HSC examinations are due to begin. Education officials asked that polling not disrupt examinations or schools recovering from floods. The EC also held talks with registered political parties in late September.

What it means for Munshiganj

Union parishads are the closest level of elected government for most people in Munshiganj's six upazilas, handling birth registration, social safety net lists, local roads and village courts. Municipal elections are planned to follow once the UP polls are complete. The phase in which Munshiganj's unions will vote has not yet been announced.

Sources: ecs.gov.bd, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org