NCP will not accept registration without Shapla, says Nasiruddin Patwary after meeting CEC

The National Citizen Party (NCP) will not accept registration without the Shapla (water lily) symbol, said the party's Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary.

"There is no point in participating in the election without it," he told journalists after a two-hour meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin at the Election Commission this afternoon (9 October).

"We don't see any legal or political barrier to getting the Shapla symbol. That's why we are hopeful we will get it. NCP will not accept registration without Shapla," he added.

He also vowed to continue the fight for the symbol through democratic means if the Election Commission refuses their request.

"If the EC doesn't grant Shapla, we'll continue our struggle to obtain it democratically," he said, adding, "NCP will not take registration under any other symbol."

"The Election Commission has two methods before it, one is to cancel symbols like Dhaner Shish (paddy sheaf), Tara (star), and Sonali Ash (golden fibre), or to grant Shapla. We want none of these symbols to be cancelled," Patwary said.

He added that his party did not receive any explanation from the CEC about why Shapla could not be allocated.

When asked for an explanation as to why Shapla cannot be given, the Chief Election Commissioner remained silent for nearly two hours, Patwary said.

"For two hours, we kept asking the CEC and the secretary for their explanation. They remained silent and couldn't provide any. However, we appreciate their patience throughout the discussion," he added.

Patwary further said, "We told them clearly - if you don't grant Shapla, you will have to give an explanation."

He believes the silence from the commission officials indicated tacit agreement with NCP's stance.

"Since they couldn't provide any answer, we believe they agreed with us," he said.

The meeting, which began at 4pm, was attended by NCP Joint Member Secretary Zahirul Islam Musa and Joint Convenor Khaled Saifullah. EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed was also present during the discussion.

According to NCP sources, today's meeting with the CEC focused primarily on the inclusion of Shapla in the official list of electoral symbols.

As part of the ongoing discussions regarding electoral symbols, the NCP delegation met the CEC to press their long-standing demand for the Shapla symbol — which they consider integral to their political identity.

Ahead of the 13th national parliamentary election, the Election Commission has decided to register two new political parties, including the NCP.

However, despite repeated requests, the EC has already decided not to allocate the Shapla symbol to any political party. According to the EC, Shapla is not listed in the Election Conduct Rules, and therefore cannot be assigned.

On 30 September, the EC sent a letter to NCP asking the party to choose another electoral symbol by 7 October. In response, on 7 October, the NCP again urged the EC to amend the Election Conduct Rules to include the Shapla symbol.

In a letter signed by NCP Convener Md Nahid Islam, the party requested that one of three symbols — Shapla, White Shapla, or Red Shapla — be allocated to them.