A total of 25 candidates --  six for chairman posts, nine for vice chairman posts, and 10 for vice chairman posts reserved for women -- have been elected unopposed in the first phase of the upazila polls.

"They were the sole candidates in the posts they were vying for, so after their candidacies were approved through a scrutiny of their nomination papers, the returning officers concerned declared them winners yesterday [Tuesday]," Election Commission Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath told The Daily Star.

Consequently, elections won't be necessary in four upazilas -- Bagherhat Sadar, Munshiganj Sadar, Madaripur's Shibchar, and Feni's Parshuram -- as the chairmen, vice chairmen, and female vice chairmen in these four upazilas have all been elected unopposed, he added.

Similarly, uncontested chairman candidates in Gaibandha's Saghata and Natore's Singra were also declared winners, eliminating the need for elections for these two positions, the EC official also said.

A total of 1,588 candidates will contest in the first phase of the elections to 150 upazilas. Of them, 554 will vie for chairman posts, 605 for vice chairman posts, and 429 for vice chairman posts reserved for women.

Meanwhile, the EC said that the fourth phase of the elections to 55 upazilas will be held on June 5.

Election Commission Secretary Md Jahangir Alam declared the schedule after a meeting of the commissioners at the EC office in the capital's Agargaon yesterday.

He said that the last date for submission of nomination papers in the fourth phase is May 9, scrutiny of the nomination papers will take place on May 12, and the last date for withdrawal of candidacy is May 19.

In this phase, voting will be held in two upazilas using electronic voting machines (EVMs) and ballots will be used in the remaining 53 upazilas, he further said.

The upazila elections will take place in four phases.

A total of 161 upazilas will go to polls on May 21 in the second phase, and 112 upazilas will go to polls on May 29 in the third phase.