Highlights:
National Citizen Party Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary said that the NCP is prepared to take "Shapla Koli" (water lily bud) as its official electoral symbol.
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The NCP leader's statement to the press came after a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin at Nirbachan Bhaban yesterday, following repeated demands for months for the Shapla symbol.
Nasiruddin said, "Today we have applied for the Shapla, White Shapla and Shapla Koli symbols. In the greater interest, we will accept the Shapla Koli as our election symbol." The NCP formally applied to the EC for the symbol today (2 November).
Hours earlier, NCP Convener Nahid Islam said at a press conference, "The decision regarding the Shapla could have been made a month ago. We want the Shapla."
He also alleged that the EC was creating obstacles for the new party instead of cooperating.
Asked about the possibility of joining an alliance with the BNP, Nasiruddin said the NCP plans to field candidates in all 300 constituencies in the next parliamentary election.
He added that in the upcoming election, there will be a tight contest between the "Dhaner Sheesh" (sheaf of paddy), which is the electoral symbol of the BNP, and the "Shapla Koli."
He added, "Under Jamaat-e-Islami's leadership, religious fascism has taken hold in the country. And under the BNP's leadership, there is extortion and terrorism."
Nasiruddin said, "We cannot be allies of Jamaat-e-Islami's religious fascism. Nor can we be allies of BNP's extortion and terrorism."
In response to a question about forming political alliances, he said, "We have said before — if the BNP abandons terrorism, extortion, and corruption, and stands in favour of reform, we'll consider it. And if Jamaat moves away from religious fascism and divisive politics, we'll consider that too."
NCP writes to EC supporting polls law amendment
On 23 October, the Advisory Council gave final approval to an amendment to the Representation of the People Order (RPO), which requires each party in an alliance to contest the election under its own electoral symbol. The BNP has sent a letter to the Election Commission objecting to this provision and demanding its repeal, while Jamaat-e-Islami has supported keeping the provision in place.
Today, NCP also sent a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner supporting the provision.
The letter said, "We believe that the Election Commission's decision to allow every registered party to contest under its own symbol is a historic and principled step.
"Now, if the government or the Election Commission, under political pressure from the BNP, withdraws from this approved provision just before the gazette publication, it would not only strike at the Commission's independence but also undermine the credibility of the entire election process and the government's actions."
The NCP also warned that if the EC changed its stance under BNP's pressure, it would cement public doubts about the neutrality, capability, and credibility of both the Commission and the overall electoral process.
EC releases draft of final voter list
Ahead of the 13th national parliamentary election, the Election Commission (EC) has included citizens who turned 18 by October this year in the voter list. In the third phase, 13,04,880 new voters were added.
Election Commission Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed announced the figures at a press briefing held at the EC headquarters today.
"From 1 September to 31 October, more than 13 lakh new voters were registered. In total, the number of voters in the country now stands at 12 crore 76 lakh 12 thousand and 384," he said.
According to the EC secretary, the updated list includes 6 crore 47 lakh 60 thousand and 382 male voters, 6 crore 28 lakh 50 thousand 772 female voters, and 1,230 transgender voters.
After resolving claims and objections, the final voter list will be published on 18 November.