Dhaka, June 15 -- Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has dodged a direct question in parliament on whether members of the Awami League would be allowed to participate in local government elections.

The issue was raised by Brahmanbaria-2 lawmaker Rumeen Farhana on Monday during discussion on a cut motion over grants for the Local Government Division in the 2025-26 supplementary budget.

She said district councils were already being run by politically appointed administrators, and argued this went against constitutional rules that require elected representatives at the local level.

Referring to the electoral timeline, Rumeen questioned when local government elections would be held and whether the Awami League -- banned ...