Dhaka: The officially stipulated campaign period for nearly 650 union councils of the country ends at midnight, 32 hours before voting opens on Thursday.

All types of rallies, processions and showdowns will remain prohibited in the election areas from Tuesday midnight to Saturday midnight.

‘No one can carry out any kind of campaign after today (Tuesday) midnight,’ Election Commissioner Shah Nawaz on Tuesday told reporters at his Election Commission Secretariat office.

Issuing warning to the security men and vote-casting officials, he said the Election Commission would not tolerate negligence of the law enforcement agencies in curbing election irregularities and violence.

‘If the law enforcement agencies play inactive role while offenses are committed in their presence, we will not tolerate such thing,’ UNB quoted him as saying.

Shah Nawaz said none will be spared for failure in performing duty.  ‘If anyone commits offense, the persons no matter who they are will be arrested and brought to book.’

In the second phase, as many as 31 chairman candidates, all from ruling Awami League, have already been elected unopposed finding no rival against their respective post.

Nearly 2,700 chairman contenders, including 1500 from 17 political parties and nearly 1200 independent candidates are in the election races in the union councils.

Though AL has no chairman candidate in only one union out of 643 union councils in this phase, its arch rival BNP has no aspirants in some 79 union councils.

HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party has fielded chairman candidates in only 156 unions.

Besides, some 23,000 candidates are contesting for member posts in the second phase, while over 7,000 others for reserved seats which are exclusively for women.

Earlier on March 22, the first phase election in 712 union councils was held amid polls violence and irregularities.

The EC so far announced the election schedule for the first four phases as part of its plan to arrange elections in 4275 out of the country’s 4546 union councils in six phases by June.