Union councils of Bangladesh

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Union council (Bengali: ইউনিয়ন পরিষদ, romanized: iuniẏana pariṣada), also known as union parishad, rural council, rural union and simply union, is the smallest rural administrative and local government unit in Bangladesh,^[1] with zila parishads (district councils) being the largest rural authorities and upazila parishads (sub-district council) being the intermediate level.^[2]

A union council, headed by a chairperson, consists of nine wards. These wards serve the purpose of electing members for general seats, with three additional seats reserved for women, all of which are directly elected.^[3][2]

Union councils are formed under the Local Government (Union Parishads) Act, 2009. The boundary of each union council is demarcated by the deputy commissioner of the district.^[3] Union councils are responsible for various development tasks, including agriculture, education, health, infrastructure, and sanitation. They also oversee administrative duties like birth registration, census activities, and maintaining civil status registers. Additionally, they contribute to maintaining law and order in their areas. As of 2024, there are 4,578 union parishads in Bangladesh.^[2]