Published : 11 Oct 2025, 08:29 AM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 02:34 PM
The Election Commission has made it clear once again that the “Shapla”, or water lily, symbol cannot be allotted as a party emblem under any circumstances.
The commission said the decision was made in full accordance with the Constitution, election laws, and the rules governing the allocation of symbols.
It stressed that no external pressure had influenced the process.
“Legally, constitutionally, and according to the rules on symbol allocation, we cannot give the Shapla symbol,” Election Commissioner Md Anwarul Islam Sarker told bdnews24.com on Friday.
He added, “We are under no pressure. The Commission’s decision is clear -- we will not allocate the Shapla symbol to any party.”
The reaffirmation came a day after leaders of the National Citizen Party (NCP), led by Chief Coordinator Nasir Uddin Patwary, visited the Nirbachan Bhaban on Thursday afternoon to renew their demand for the symbol.
The party urged the commission to amend the list of election symbols if necessary to accommodate their request.
The EC, however, reminded the party on Friday that it had already settled the matter earlier, rejecting a similar request.
The commission has previously clarified that the national emblem “Shapla” cannot be used as a voting symbol under its existing policy.
Earlier, the political platform Nagarik Oikya had also applied to replace its “kettle” symbol with “Shapla”, but the commission rejected that application as well.
