NCP not getting 'Shapla' as electoral symbol: EC secretary
He also said that the party had been advised to submit an alternative proposal
The National Citizen Party (NCP) will not be allotted the 'Shapla' (water lily) as its electoral symbol, said Election Commission (EC) Secretary Akhter Ahmed.
Speaking to journalists at the EC building in Agargaon today (23 September), the secretary said, "The 'Shapla' is not included in the list of electoral symbols as per the regulations. Therefore, it cannot be allocated as a party symbol."
"The 'Shapla' is not on our list of 115 electoral symbols. According to the rules, political parties must choose a symbol from the approved list. Therefore, the NCP will have to pick an alternative symbol," he added.
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He also said that the party had been advised to submit an alternative proposal.
"The final decision will be made with the consent of both the EC and the party," he said.
"We had sent the code of conduct to the Ministry of Law for vetting, and we received it back yesterday. At the same time, the file regarding the party symbols that we had submitted has also been returned.
"Therefore, the process of coordinating symbols with the ongoing political party registration has moved a step forward. The registration documents for political parties are still under review, and once the process is finalised, I will inform you," he added.
He also announced that starting 28 September, the EC will hold a series of dialogues with civil society representatives, teachers, women leaders, journalists, political parties, and election experts.
"Schedules for these discussions will be set in phases, taking into account Puja and other holidays," he added.
On expatriate voter registration, the secretary said the process is progressing.
"We cannot create new developments every day. But we are trying to keep the media updated regularly on every step of our election preparations," he said.
Notably, a delegation from the National Citizen Party (NCP) met with the Chief Election Commissioner yesterday (22 September).
After the meeting, briefing journalists at the EC building, the party's chief coordinator, Nasiruddin Patwari, said, "First of all, some good news is coming for us after the July interim period. We are moving towards a positive sign in the registration process, and a piece of good news is coming."
"Today, we also stated that we have requested the Shapla, White Shapla, and Red Shapla symbols. We are not moving away from these three symbols. We have learned that conspiratorial actions are being taken regarding these symbols. The NCP's registration must be made with any one of these three symbols, and this cannot be altered," he said,
