Govt to hold local government elections on schedule: LGRD Minister

The BNP-led government will hold elections at all levels of local government on time, strictly following constitutional procedures and ensuring that the people's will is reflected in the electoral process, Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan said.

He made the remarks at a meeting with officials of the ministry at the Secretariat on Sunday (August 23).

Moyeen Khan described the Local Government Ministry as a unique and crucial part of the government because of its direct role in delivering services to citizens at the grassroots.

"If this ministry functions properly, the country as a whole will be administered properly," he said, stressing that the ministry's success would contribute significantly to the government's overall performance.

The minister said the government would serve all sections of society, but poverty-stricken people would receive priority. He alleged that the rights of poorer citizens had been undermined over the past 17 years while greater attention was given to the wealthy.

He said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had introduced Family Cards and Farmer Cards for disadvantaged people and that the government would continue to focus on meeting the needs of low-income communities.

On local government elections, Moyeen Khan said the BNP had formed the government with a mandate from the people. He alleged that the outcomes of four elections held between 2008 and 2024 had not reflected the people’s will.

After the 2026 election, he said, a government genuinely representing the people was now in office.

"One year is a long time," the minister said, adding that elections would be held at every tier of local government in accordance with the Constitution, government policy and the people’s aspirations.

He said the government wanted genuine representatives of the people to be elected through those polls.

Moyeen Khan also called for accountability over irregularities and corruption at every level of government. He said the BNP did not believe in "politics of revenge" but in the rule of law, adding that the government was working to restore a genuinely democratic system.

At the meeting, State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Mir Shahe Alam said the ministry was working to move away from allegations of corruption and misappropriation associated with the previous government.