A union council or union parishad, also known as a rural council, rural union, simply union, is the smallest rural administrative and local government unit in Bangladesh, with zila parishads (district councils) being the largest rural authorities and upazila parishads (sub-district council) being the intermediate level.
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.
