Bangladesh News

The caretaker government is amending the upazila parishad ordinance to prevent individuals from contesting parliamentary and upazila elections simultaneously.

The council of advisers has already approved the amendment now being vetted at the law ministry, sources in the LGRD ministry said.

The ordinance in force does not preclude anyone from seeking election to parliament and upazila parishads at the same time.

It only bars a person from contesting for more than one post in the upazila election.

Now as the parliamentary and upazila polls are to be held with a short time gap, many plan to run in both the elections.

In efforts to stop that from happening, the government is adding a new provision to the Local Government (Upazila Parishads) Ordinance, 2008.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission (EC) itself appears to be confused if the city corporation mayors are eligible to contest the parliamentary polls, said EC Secretariat sources.

The Representation of the People Order (RPO) provision in this regard is open to interpretations, they added.

While some officials say mayors can contest the parliamentary polls, others argue they cannot, since they are holding posts in statutory bodies [city corporations].

The EC will have to resolve the issue soon, as city corporation mayors might bid to compete in the December 18 polls, officials in the EC said.

Khulna City Corporation (KCC) Mayor Talukder Abdul Khaleque has already bought AL nomination form for Bagerhat-3 constituency. He has also contacted the EC to know if he will be able to stand in the polls.

The EC officials told him that he would be informed once the commission makes a decision on it.

Khaleque had to resign from his post in Khulna city AL on his election as the mayor.