The National Citizens Party (NCP) is set to receive its desired election symbol, ‘Shapla’, according to multiple sources within the Election Commission (EC). Although the symbol is not included in the EC’s recently published gazette, the commission is expected to take steps to include it following the party’s application.
Several parties, including BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, have informed the EC that they have no objection to the NCP receiving the ‘Shapla’ symbol. Sources say political parties have informally advised the EC to grant the symbol. A senior BNP leader, speaking anonymously, emphasized that BNP does not see it as their role to contest the symbol issue.
After receiving the EC’s letter, NCP leaders requested that the ‘Shapla’ symbol be allocated to them again, refusing any alternative. NCP joint convener Jabed Rasin said, “Our discussions with the EC on the Shapla symbol have been long and continuous. It is deeply linked to our party’s political and cultural identity.” He added that the symbol represents the party’s connection with the people and its absence in the EC’s symbol list is a limitation.
On October 3, Nagorik Oikya President Mahmudur Rahman Manna stated that after NCP demanded the Shapla symbol, some party leaders met him to request it. Respecting the NCP leaders’ role in challenging the Awami League government, he decided he would not object if the EC granted them the symbol.
Nagorik Oikya, led by Manna, uses a kettle as its election symbol, but the party had also applied for the Shapla symbol when registering, which the EC did not grant. On September 25, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin noted that Nagorik Oikya had requested the Shapla symbol but was denied.
On September 30, the EC registered the NCP and the Bangladesh Jatiya League as political parties. Since then, the NCP has repeatedly applied to receive the Shapla symbol.
On October 2, the EC issued a gazette listing 115 symbols. The Awami League’s ‘boat’ symbol was suspended, and Jamaat-e-Islami’s ‘scale’ symbol was reinstated. However, the NCP’s requested ‘Shapla’ symbol was not included. EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed explained that since Shapla was not on the list, allocation was not possible at the time, and the party was asked to suggest an alternative.
The EC stated that the matter could be reviewed in principle, but political and administrative coordination would be needed. If the rules are amended to include the Shapla symbol, it could then be allocated to the NCP.
