The Election Commission (EC) is going to ban public meetings and processions for the candidates of Union Parishad (UP) elections.

The UP chairman candidates will not be allowed to spend more than Tk 5 lakh through bank account and Tk 50,000 as personal expenditure while the member candidates can spend Tk 1.1 lakh.

All candidates would have to submit sector-wise expenditure returns to the returning

officer within 30 days after the polls. The EC will take legal actions if the rules are violated.

All these issues are being incorporated in the newly formulated code of conduct for UP poll, said Election Commissioner Brig Gen (Retd) Shakhwat Hossain.

He said the UP polls would come under the code of conduct for the first time.

The UP polls will start in May this year.

He said a chairman candidate would have one election office in the union

while a member candidate would have one office in the ward.

None would be allowed to appoint agents outside his or herunion or ward.

Though processions and public meetings are banned, the candidates would be allowed to hold street meetings. There would not be any photo of political leaders on the posters, except the photo of the candidate and election symbol.

Shakhwat Hossain said wall writing would be completely prohibited.