DHAKA, Sept 10, 2026 (BSS) – State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam today said local government elections will be held without party symbols.

The government would extend all necessary cooperation to the Election Commission (EC) to ensure the local government elections are held in a free, fair and impartial manner, he said

The state minister made these remarks while responding to journalists’ questions at the secretariat after a courtesy meeting between LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan and British High Commissioner Sarah Cooke.

He said that even though the elections would not be held on party symbols, people at the local level could still know which political ideology a candidate is associated with.

However, this would not affect the neutrality of the EC in any way.

Responding to a question on BNP’s position on the local government elections, Mir Shahe Alam said instructions have been given from the party’s highest policy-making level to the local level, directing BNP to make its best effort to field a single candidate in every union.

However, these candidates would not be nominated on the party symbol; they could contest the elections as BNP-backed candidates.

He said that while it is true that the elections are not being held on party symbols, it is also a reality that voters would not remain unaware of which political party a chairman candidate in a particular area is affiliated with.

Asked whether BNP would enjoy any special advantage or separate position in this regard, the state minister said the government’s role in the elections would be to cooperate with the EC in holding a free, fair and impartial election.

He said any eligible candidate meeting the legal requirements would be able to contest the elections.

He said it is the government’s responsibility to ensure an environment where candidates can safely campaign and voters can cast their votes without hindrance.

For this, the EC would receive necessary cooperation from the local administration up to the central administration.

The state minister said the current government and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman have given clear directives to make the local government elections free, fair and impartial.

He said the administration would work in coordination with the Election Commission in line with that directive.

He mentioned the government’s message is very clear, saying since this is not a party-based election, all legally eligible candidates would be able to contest, and it would be the state’s responsibility to ensure equal opportunity for all.

Responding to another question, Mir Shahe Alam said the government wants to complete five important elections under the local government system, namely union parishad, upazila parishad, municipality, zila parishad and city corporation elections, within the government-set timeframe.
He said the state would extend all forms of cooperation to the EC to hold these elections in a free, fair and impartial manner.

British High Commissioner Sarah Cooke said Bangladesh and the United Kingdom (UK) have a long-standing historical partnership, and the UK also has a long-standing cooperative relationship with the Ministry of Local Government.

She said the UK has been cooperating with Bangladesh’s local government and related development activities for more than 10 years.

During this period, the UK has invested more than 100 million pounds in various programmes of the Ministry of Local Government.

Mentioning that the UK has worked with Bangladesh on the national urban development programme and the formulation of a new national urban development policy, Sarah Cooke said the meeting also discussed how the experience and lessons gained from this long-standing partnership could be utilised in the future.

Noting that sustainable development would receive special importance in future cooperation, the envoy said the UK is interested in cooperating with Bangladesh in tackling the impacts of climate change, particularly in addressing climate change-induced risks in rural areas and building people’s resilience.

Referring to the UK’s ongoing activities in the Sundarbans area, Sarah Cooke said various initiatives have been taken there to address rural development and the real impacts of climate change.

Regarding the meeting, the state minister said the UK is one of Bangladesh’s oldest development partners and the British High Commissioner expressed hope that just as the UK stood by Bangladesh in the past and stands by it now, it would continue its cooperation in Bangladesh’s development activities in the future as well.

The state minister said waste management was also discussed at the meeting, adding that the UK has expressed particular interest in cooperating on medical waste management.

He said the UK wants to work on improving medical waste management in city corporations.

Besides this, British investors are also interested in other waste management projects, including “waste to energy” projects.

He said there are opportunities for British investment in various projects, including energy generation from waste, under the public-private partnership or PPP model.

The UK side has proposed setting up a dedicated team or communication mechanism for formal contact and coordination on these matters, he added.

The state minister further said the meeting also discussed the change in the fiscal year, adding that a plan has been made for Bangladesh’s fiscal year to start from April 1 and end on March 31, effective from 2028, and the cabinet has approved this.

However, since it requires a constitutional amendment, the entire process is taking some time to complete, he added.