A total of 2,055 aspiring candidates submitted nomination papers for three positions鈥攃hairman, vice chairman general seat and vice chairman seat reserved for women鈥攊n the second phase of the upazila parishad elections to 160 upazilas slated for May 21.
Among them, 730 aspirants have submitted nomination papers for the post of chairman, 763 aspirants submitted for the post of vice chairman and 562 for the post of reserved seat vice chairman for women.
Election commission additional secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath confirmed the matter as Sunday was the last day of filing nomination papers for the second phase of the polls.
According to the schedule, the nomination papers will be scrutinised on April 23 and the last date for the withdrawal of nomination papers is April 30.
The schedule for the first phase of upazila elections was announced on March 21. In the first phase, voting will be held in 150 upazilas on May 8.
A total of 1,891 aspiring candidates submitted nomination papers in the first phase.
Both the phases of the local government elections will be conducted through paper ballots and electronic voting machines, Ashok said.
The ruling Awami League has already announced that no party symbol will be given to any candidates in the election, while the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has declared to stay away from the polls.
As a result, the sixth upazila parishad election is going to be held in a non-partisan manner, though there is a legal scope of holding the polls in partisan manner.
Out of the country鈥檚 44 registered political parties, 28 participated in the last parliamentary elections held on January 7.
Sixteen parties, including the BNP, which were agitating for parliamentary elections under a non-partisan caretaker government, boycotted the polls.