Dhaka: Election Commission Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed on Tuesday said the schedule for the next general polls will be announced at the end of October this year.

He said this while talking to reporters after a meeting of the Election Commission in the city’s Nirbachon Bhaban.

“The schedule for the 11^th national election may be declared at the end of October,” the EC Secretary said, reports the UNB.

At the meeting, the Election Commission has given directives to all officials concerned to prepare the voter lists of 300 parliamentary constituencies and CD of the voter lists before the announcement of the polls schedule, he said.

Helaluddin said electronic voting machines (EVM) instead of ballot papers will be used in 10 polling stations in the upcoming Barishal City Corporation election, while EVMs will be used in two polling stations each in Rajshahi and Sylhet city corporation elections.

The elections to the three city corporations will be held onJuly 30next.

The EC Secretary said if any voter from hijra community appeals, the person will be made voter with third gender identity.

The hijra community people used to become voters with identity of either male or female before.

During the next updating programme of the country’s electoral roll, the hijra community people will be made voters with identity of third gender, the EC Secretary said.