The tentative schedule announced by the Election Commission (EC) on Monday for the upcoming local government Union Parishad (UP) elections is not final, clarified Election Commissioner Anwarul Islam Sarkar. He stated that the overall election dates and operational roadmap will be finalized during an inter-ministerial meeting scheduled for Thursday (September 17, 2026).
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday (September 15, 2026), Election Commissioner Anwarul Islam Sarkar clarified the Commission’s position. This statement followed signals of lack of coordination and reservations from the Ministry of Local Government regarding the EC’s initial draft roadmap.
Earlier on Tuesday morning, State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam stated that while the Election Commission holds full constitutional authority as an independent body to conduct elections, the government was not priorly informed of the proposed 7-phase UP election roadmap. He noted that no formal correspondence or discussion had taken place between the Election Commission and relevant government departments on the matter.
Previously on Monday, Election Commissioner Brigadier General (Retd.) Abul Fazal Md. Sanaullah had announced a preliminary plan to hold elections across 4,580 Union Parishads in seven phases, with the first phase tentatively set for November 12, the second for December 13, and the third for December 30, 2026. Subsequent phases were proposed for January 17, February 4, April 22, and May 27, 2027. The EC now clarifies that these dates served merely as an initial proposal.
