Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin and the four Election Commissioners met Chief Justice Syed Rafiq Ahmed today, just ahead of the announcement of the schedules for the next national election and referendum.

EC officials said the CEC and the commissioners left the EC headquarters in Agargaon around 1:15pm and reached the Supreme Court premises at about 1:35pm.

The meeting is believed to have discussed several legal complications, including writ petitions filed over the parliamentary seat delimitation process. EC sources said the pending petitions filed by several aspirants seeking to regain candidature following disputes over election symbols may also have been part of the discussions.

The timing of the meeting, coming right before the polls schedule, has been termed significant by those concerned.

The CEC is also scheduled to call on the President tomorrow — a formality usually observed prior to the announcement of an election schedule.

According to the EC, preparations are underway to hold the 13th parliamentary election and the referendum on the same day in the first half of February. The commission has hinted that the schedule may be announced on December 10 or 11.

Earlier, the EC asked Bangladesh Television (BTV) and Bangladesh Betar to remain prepared to record the CEC’s possible address to the nation ahead of the announcement.