The Election Commission is going to meet the field-level officials with the 11th national election looming.
The EC has called the meeting with regional election officials, senior district election officials, and district election officials, said EV Additional Secretary Mokhlesur Rahman.
The election countdown begins on October 30 and the EC says it is preparing to announce the election schedule soon afterwards.
The meeting headed by the EC secretary will take place on Tuesday, Mokhlesur Rahman said, adding that the full commission will be present at the meeting, reports bdnews24.
"We'll receive updates from the officials on the necessary preparations at the field level. We'll also provide them with directives on next steps in relation to planning and implementation of the election process."
The meeting agenda includes scrutinising and publishing the CD of voter list, identifying the institutes to be used as polling centres and necessary renovations, preparing and training of the panel of polling officers, collection and distribution of election accessories and budget, according to a notice.
Almost 80 per cent of the preparation has been done, EC Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed had said previously. A list of more than 100 million voters and more than 40,000 tentative polling centres has already been prepared. It will be published as a gazette notification soon.
The EC has also arranged the training for polling officers, he said.
There will be around 0.35 million (350,000) polling officers needed for the upcoming eleventh national election, the EC officials said. The returning officers will receive the directive to form a panel of polling officers once the election schedule is announced.
The gazette for the polling centres will be published 25 days prior to the election and the panel of polling officers will be finalised following it.
Usually the divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners are appointed as the returning officers in the national election with the upazila election officers as assistant returning officers. The commission will decide on whom to appoint at Tuesday’s meeting.
First-class officials from the government, semi-public, autonomous offices, principals or senior teachers of colleges, madrasas, high schools and, if necessary, officials from the same grade in banks or insurance companies may get appointed as presiding officers, said EC officials.
The second-class officials from the same organisations will be appointed as polling officers, they added.
The EC will check the neutrality of the election officials before appointing them.
Most of the government education institutions and those receiving government support, and in some cases private education institutions will be used as polling centres.
The panel of polling officers will include 10 per cent extra manpower to enable the EC to replace any official who faces controversy.
