Dhaka, Dec. 24 -- In a bid to ensure a free and fair election, the Election Commission (EC) has instructed that no new projects, foundation-laying ceremonies, plaque unveilings, or grant and relief distribution take place in polling areas until the general election concludes.

Separate letters were sent on Tuesday to the secretaries of the disaster management ministry, the Local Government Division, women and children affairs ministry, and the chief of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society.

The parliamentary elections and referendum will be held on Feb 12. The voting is set only two years after the last national elections, following the shift in power in the July Uprising.

The letter to the Local Government Division secretary outlined the...