Union Councils (or
Union Parishads or
Town Unions or
Unions) are the smallest rural administrative and local government units in
Bangladesh. Each Union is made up of several villages. There are 4,554 Unions in Bangladesh. A Union Council consists of a Chairman and twelve members including three members exclusively reserved for women. Union Parishads are formed under the
Local Government (Union Parishads) Act, 2009. The boundary of each Union is demarcated by the Deputy Commissioner of the District. A Union Council is the body primarily responsible for agricultural, industrial and community development within the local limits of the union.