Dhaka, Nov. 11 -- The Election Commission (EC) is set to begin a dialogue with registered political parties ahead of the parliamentary polls.

EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said the discussions will begin on Thursday, though the list of parties to be invited at the initial stage has not yet been finalised.

Speaking at the Nirbachan Bhaban in Dhaka's Agargaon on Tuesday, he said: "We are planning the process. We need to decide who will attend and in what order.

"We want to complete discussions with the parties within this month to achieve specific targets," he added.

The national election is expected to be held in the first half of February, with the schedule to be announced in early December.

The EC has already completed its preparatory w...