JS body for partisan chairmen, mayors

A parliamentary body yesterday recommended allowing only chairman and mayoral candidates to use registered political parties' parliamentary electoral symbols in union and upazila parishad and city corporation and municipality elections.

However, it recommended the LGRD ministry to further look into whether the same could be done for chairman and member candidates at zila parishads, each of which has at least three to four constituencies, as MP's and the chairmen may engage in controversy over their jurisdiction.

Against this backdrop, the zila parishad (amendment) bill, placed in parliament on November 11, was withdrawn from the House and standing committee on the ministry by LGRD Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain.

Initially, the city corporation (amendment), union parishad (amendment) and upazila parishad (amendment) bills sought elections to all posts, including that of councillors and members, under political banners while the municipality (amendment) bill only the mayoral posts.

Till date, the parties could only support the candidates but their participation was all but official since their local machinery was used for campaigns.