The National Citizen Party (NCP) on Thursday reiterated its call to the Election Commission to allocate "Shapla" (Water Lily) as its electoral symbol. The party also demanded that the commission remove other national emblems, including the “Sheaf of Paddy” and the “Star”, from the list of election symbols if their request is not granted.
“Two options are there before the Election Commission now — either cancel paddy sheaf, star, golden fiber (symbol), or give shapla (to NCP),” NCP Chief Coordinator Nasir Uddin Patwary told reporters after a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital.
Patwary led a three-member NCP delegation in the meeting that lasted for two and a half hours. EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed was also present at the meeting. Two other NCP delegation members are NCP Joint Convener Khaled Saifullah and NCP Joint Member Secretary Zahirul Islam Musa.
The NCP chief coordinator said they will not accept registration from the Election Commission without the Shapla symbol.
“We have made it clear that NCP will not receive registration without the Shapla symbol. We will wait for a month,” he said.
Patwary said they believe there is no legal barrier to include Shapla in the list of electoral symbols, adding that there is the hand of an “invisible force” that obstructs the process.
“We see neither legal nor political barriers to getting Shapla. We are optimistic that we will get it. The Election Commission, however, remained silent on this issue. Since they did not respond, we assume they have consented to our proposal,” he added.
The NCP leader also cautioned the commission against playing a “hide-and-seek” game over the issue. If the commission refuses to allocate the symbol, it must explain the reasons as a constitutional body, he added.
NCP Joint Convener Khaled Saifullah said now the EC has a move to incorporate the youths who will turn 18 years by October 31, 2025, in the electoral rolls so that they can exercise their franchise in the 13th Parliamentary Election.
In this regard, he said the NCP demanded that the EC ensure that all the youths who will turn 18 years even on the balloting day are included in the voter lists before the next election.
NCP Joint Member Secretary Zahirul Islam Musa said they raised questions about the EC’s decision to award registration to Bangladesh Jatiya League, which has no charter and head office in the mentioned address, though it has not fulfilled the registration conditions.
He said the officers who investigate their head office and other conditions must be brought to punishment.