Online Desk: The Election Commission (EC) has decided to hold elections to five city corporations–Barishal, Gazipur, Khulna, Rajshahi, and Sylhet –in three phases before the parliamentary elections. The elections would be held between May 23 and June 29, said Jahangir Alam, secretary of the EC Secretariat, after a meeting of commissioners held at the EC office on Wednesday.

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal presided over the meeting. The schedules will be announced in mid-April, he said. The EC is legally obliged to hold election to a city corporation in the last 180 days of the corporation’s five-year tenure.

The EC will have to hold Gazipur City Corporation polls between March 11 and September 10, Khulna City Corporation and Rajshahi City Corporation polls between April 13 and October 10, Barishal City Corporation polls between May 14 and November 13, and Sylhet City Corporation polls between May 6 and November 5.