Dhaka: The Election Commission (EC) Secretariat Senior Secretary, Akhtar Ahmed, announced today that there is no possibility of allocating the Shapla (water lily) electoral symbol to the National Citizen Party (NCP) as it is not part of the EC’s official list of registered symbols.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Akhtar Ahmed, speaking to reporters at the EC Building in Agargaon, emphasized that the Shapla symbol is not included among the 115 symbols officially registered by the commission. He stated, “As per the rules, a political party must select its symbol from the reserved list. If Shapla is not in the list, where is the scope to allocate it?” He further elaborated that the NCP would need to propose an alternative symbol, which the commission would then consider.
Akhtar Ahmed reassured that the matter would be resolved amicably, saying, “They (NCP) know that it (Shapla) is not available. The matter will be resolved with mutual consent.”
Previously, NCP Chief Coordinator Nasir Uddin Patowary, after a meeting with the Chief Election Commissioner, shared with reporters that discussions were held regarding registration, electoral symbols, and expatriate voting. He mentioned that the EC had positively decided on NCP’s registration and expressed the party’s determination to retain the Shapla symbol. Patowary added that they had proposed three options for their electoral symbol: Shapla, White Shapla, or Red Shapla, and emphasized their commitment to these choices.