The Dhaka City Corporation polls, scheduled on May 31, might be deferred if the government wants, election commissioner M Shakhawat Hossain has indicated.
Moreover, the local government division is also about to give its feedback about deferring the elections, officials said.
EC on Apr 6 wrote to the local government division asking for its opinion on holding the DCC polls on May 31.
A written opinion will be provided on Sunday following that letter, deputy secretary of the local government division Mahmuda Sharmin told bdnews24.com on Tuesday.
M Shakhawat told bdnews24.com: "It's not that we are determined to hold the election on May 31. EC may consider the deferral on the basis of a logical explanation in favour of the deferral."
An LGRD official requesting anonymity told bdnews24.com that the government wing might cite the increased number of DCC wards (from 90 to 92), incomplete voter lists and the unresolved issue of constituency delimitation as reasons for deferring the polls.
The issue of redrawing the boundaries might lead to legal complications, he said adding that shortage of workforce could be presented as another barrier holding elections in time.
Dhaka division deputy election commissioner Lutfur Rahman, however, claimed that the increase of wards would not create any problems in the voter list.
He told bdnews24.com: "EC has necessary preparations. It would be possible to take the necessary measures for holding the elections once the EC announces the schedule."
CEGIS executive director Giasuddin Ahmed Chowdhury said, "Delimitation work of the wards is underway."
"It will end within a month," he told bdnews24.com.
Mahmuda said, "The local government division will give its opinion in line with the City Corporation Act."
"It might stress the need for more clarification of the law or stress the necessity for further amendments regarding some issues," she said, adding that the letter would give the government's opinion whether it would be reasonable to hold an election in May or not.
DCC went to polls on Apr 24, 2002 and the tenure of those elected, expired almost three years ago.
The chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda told reporters on Monday that EC would announce the schedule if the government's feedback does not reach it by Apr 18.
He said the delay in DCC polls would create many problems, adding that the EC was keen on holding the Chittagong City Corporation elections by June 25.
Asked if there were any legal obligations to hold the city corporation polls within a stipulated time, EC lawyer Shahdin Malik told bdnews24.com, "No there aren't."
Shakhawat Hossain said the EC had initiated the DCC polls process on its own initiative since the tenure had expired.
When asked if there was any conflict between the government and the EC, he answered with a question: "Why should there be any?
"We have informed the government of EC's decision and now the government will clarify its position formally."
Many ruling party leaders do not want the DCC polls to be held in May while the BNP's position is unclear about the matter.
BNP's standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan told bdnews24.com on Tuesday: "We will give our reaction following the EC's decision on the election. We do not want to give any statement before that."
Source: bdnews24.com
