EC sets deadline for NCP to choose from 50 symbols including radish, brinjal

Staff Correspondent

The Election Commission (EC) has given the National Citizens Party (NCP) the opportunity to choose from 50 new symbols as an alternative to the Shapla symbol.

On Tuesday, October 14, the commission sent a letter to the party, ordering it to decide on a symbol by October 19. If the NCP does not choose a symbol within the stipulated time, the EC will allocate one from the listed symbols on its own initiative.

However, the NCP is still adamant on its demand for the Shapla symbol. Party leaders say that if they do not get the Shapla, they will deal with the issue politically.

EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed told reporters, “There is no opportunity to give the Shapla symbol to the National Citizen Party. An alternative symbol must be chosen by October 19, otherwise the commission will decide on the symbol itself.”

He said that the lotus symbol is not listed in the Election Conduct Rules 2008. Therefore, it is not possible to allocate it to any party.

In the initial application, the NCP had mentioned the lotus flower, pen and mobile phone as their preferred symbols. Later, they proposed a “red lotus flower” or a “white lotus flower”, which are not permitted as per the rules.

The list of 50 symbols given by the EC includes – bed, plate, brinjal, radish, bucket, cupboard, kite, telephone, mobile phone, pen, football, litchi, flower pot, deer, swing, sewing machine, suitcase, helicopter and many more symbols.

NCP Joint Member Secretary Zahirul Islam Musa said, “We will not accept any symbol other than the Shapla symbol. The political response to this arbitrariness of the EC will be given on the field.”

The position of the EC and NCP is clear – this tension over the Shapla symbol is not going to end easily.