The Election Commission (EC) has instructed all Returning Officers (ROs) to recruit polling officials from adjacent upazilas within the same district to address any potential shortage ahead of the upcoming parliamentary election.

The directive was issued today (15 December) through a letter signed by EC Deputy Secretary Mohammad Manir Hossain to all returning officers for immediate action.

The EC, in the letter, stated that the parliamentary election is scheduled to be held on 12 February. Instructions were previously given to finalise the panel of polling officials by 18 December according to the established guidelines.

The latest EC letter grants permission to ROs to recruit polling officials from "adjacent/nearby upazilas (within their respective district)" if there is an inadequate number of officials available in the concerned upazila to finalise the panel.

In a related development, the EC has also directed the collection of comprehensive information on all officials, including returning officers, who will be responsible for the upcoming general election and referendum. Instructions regarding this were recently sent to all regional election officers, also signed by the EC deputy secretary.

The EC mandate specifies that officials' contact details must be submitted to ensure quick communication during the election period. This includes data on police administration officials such as deputy inspectors general (DIGs) of police, police commissioners, superintendents of police (SPs), and officers-in-charge (OCs) of police stations.

Furthermore, information on EC Secretariat field-level officials—regional election officers, senior district/district election officers, and upazila/thana election officers—must be submitted to the relevant EC branch by tomorrow (16 December) in a prescribed format.

According to the EC's declared schedule, the last day for submitting nomination papers is 29 December. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place from 30 December to 4 January.

The deadline for appealing against the RO's decision to the commission is 11 January, with disposal of appeals scheduled from 12 January to 18 January.

The last day for withdrawal of candidature is 20 January. Returning officers will publish the final list of candidates and allocate symbols on 21 January. Election campaigning will run from 22 January until 7:30am on 10 February, with voting scheduled for 12 February.

returning officers / Election Commission (EC) / 13 National Election