AL’s Boat symbol to remain in EC list; Shapla not approved for NCP yet: Commissioner Masud
Unless a final decision is made regarding a party, there is no scope to remove its symbol, says the commissioner
Despite the suspension of Awami League's registration, the boat symbol will remain in the Election Commission's (EC) schedule of electoral symbols for the time being, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said today (13 July).
Speaking to the media, Commissioner Masud clarified that although the party's registration has been suspended and its political activities banned, the boat symbol will not be removed from the schedule yet.
"We assign symbols to political parties, and these are reserved by the EC. Unless a final decision is made regarding a party, there is no scope to remove its symbol," he explained.
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Regarding the National Citizen Party (NCP)'s request for the Shalpa (water lily) symbol, he noted that any party may request a symbol, but since Shalpa is not currently listed in the EC's official schedule, it cannot be granted at this stage.
"This will be considered if the NCP is officially registered in the future," he added.
Earlier in the day, a five-member NCP delegation, including its Chief Coordinator Nasir Uddin Patwary and regional organisers Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam, met with Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin.
Following the meeting, NCP Member Secretary Zahirul Islam Musa told reporters that they urged the EC to remove the boat symbol from the proposed amended schedule sent to the Law Ministry, citing the suspension of Awami League's registration.
"The CEC assured us that the matter will be reviewed and action will be taken accordingly," he said.
