In a significant development, the Election Commission has announced that elections will be conducted for 152 upazila councils across Bangladesh in the first phase on May 8. The decision was disclosed by Election Commission Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath following a commission meeting on Thursday.

As per the schedule unveiled, the deadline for the submission of nomination papers is set for April 15, with the selection process scheduled for April 17, and the final date for withdrawal of candidature is April 22. Symbol allocation will take place on April 23, paving the way for voting to occur on May 8.

Notably, the Election Commission has recently issued the Upazila Election Conduct Rules 2024 with amendments in specific areas. Under these new rules, the election campaign will commence on the day of symbol allocation, and all candidates are required to submit their nomination papers online.

The subsequent phases of voting are planned for May 23, May 29, and June 5, encompassing a total of 481 upazila councils nationwide.

Among the 152 upazilas slated for elections, 22 will employ Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for the voting process. These EVM-utilizing upazilas span nine districts, including Cox's Bazar, Shariatpur, Chandpur, Jamalpur, Pabna, Sirajganj, Jessore, Pirojpur, and Manikganj.

It's worth noting that the ruling Awami League has declared its intention not to provide its party symbol to any candidate in the forthcoming local government elections. Meanwhile, the participation of the BNP, which abstained from the parliamentary election, remains uncertain in these local government polls, indicating that the upazila council elections may primarily feature independent candidates.

Under the amended election conduct rules, independent candidates are no longer required to furnish a list of supporters. Additionally, candidates are permitted to use colored posters for campaigning, with extended campaign durations.

However, the updated regulations have also revised the deposit amounts for candidates, increasing the requirement to Tk1,00,000 for the chairman position and Tk75,000 for the vice chairman position, a significant jump from the previous deposit of Tk10,000 for both positions.