Rebel chairman aspirants of union parishads from the Awami League and the BNP yesterday filed for candidacies in many places along with their party-nominated candidates on the last day for nomination submission.

The BNP decided to stay in the battle of municipality polls until the last moment tomorrow, party chief Khaleda Zia said, reiterating her demand for army deployment for the sake of free and fair polls.

The Election Commission has not yet ordered inquiry into the allegations of electoral code violation by around 20 ministers and lawmakers.

The Local Government (amendment) Bill-2015, aimed at holding the municipality polls under party banner, will be passed in the parliament today, LGRD Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain has said.

Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik, a civil society platform working for good governance, urges the election office to take necessary steps to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections to Dhaka and Chittagong city corporations

Voting is under way in Israel in what is expected to be a close race between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party and a centre-left alliance.