Dhaka, October 14 — The National Citizen Party (NCP) has declared it will not accept registration from the Election Commission (EC) unless it is granted the Shapla (water lily) election symbol. The party’s Joint Convenor, Sarwar Tushar, made the announcement on Tuesday, responding sharply to comments made by the EC Secretary.
Tushar accused the EC Secretary of acting in an authoritarian manner and insisted that the Shapla symbol must be given to the NCP. He warned that any election complications arising from symbol disputes would be the responsibility of the commission. He also questioned the legal grounds of the EC’s refusal and said the commission has the authority to include the Shapla symbol in its official list.
In support of the party’s stance, NCP’s chief organizer for the southern region, Hasnat Abdullah, posted on Facebook expressing confidence that the NCP will ultimately receive the symbol.
Earlier Tuesday, EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said that if the NCP does not choose an alternative symbol by October 18, the EC will decide on the matter itself. He clarified that since the Shapla symbol is not included in the EC’s current regulations, it cannot be assigned directly to the NCP. Should the party fail to decide by October 19, the commission will finalize the symbol allocation.
Akhtar also mentioned that no formal proposal has yet been submitted to the EC regarding a referendum on implementing the July National Charter.
The NCP has repeatedly engaged with the Election Commission over the Shapla symbol, holding meetings and submitting letters demanding its allocation. Party leaders have warned they may take to the streets to secure the symbol and have hinted at reconsidering their participation in the upcoming elections if their demands are not met.
