Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda on Thursday said five city corporations, including the one in Rajshahi, will go to polls in July next.

‘The polls to five city corporations will be held by July next before the national election. The decision on it will be finalised at the Commission’s meeting. But, we’ve initially made July as our target to hold the polls,’ he said, reports the UNB.

The CEC came up with the comment while talking to reporters after distributing smart cards among voters in Paba upazila’s Damkurahat High School field in Rajshahi in the morning.

He said the Election Commission (EC) will hold a meeting very soon to work out the schedules for Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet and Gazipur city corporations’ elections.

Huda said they have already started taking preparations for conducting the city polls.

The CEC also said they are likely to hold the 11th parliamentary elections at the end of December or in January next year.  

He said they have a plan to use Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) in the city polls as they did in the past.

He, however, said the Commission will decide in its meeting about at how many centres they will use the EVM.

According to the Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Ministry data, the tenure of Khulna City Corporation will be ended on September 25, while Rajshahi City Corporation on October 5, Barishal City Corporation on October 23, Syhlet City Corporation on October 8 and Gazipur on September 4.

As per the city corporation laws, the EC must complete polls to any city corporation within 180 days of the expiry of its five-year term.