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Published : 23 Jun 2025, 02:13 AM
The National Citizen Party (NCP) has applied to use the “water lily” as its election symbol, saying no law prevents a party from choosing a national emblem already used in other contexts.
The party submitted its registration application to the Election Commission (EC) on Sunday, along with requests for three symbols: water lily, pen, and mobile phone.
Speaking outside the Nirbachan Bhaban, or Election Building, party Convenor Nahid Islam said: “Our first preference is the water lily. We believe it represents the people, the spirit of mass uprising, and rural Bangladesh.
“We hope to contest the next election with this symbol.”
A separate political party has also requested the same symbol, but the NCP says the EC will settle the matter.
On Sunday evening, an NCP delegation met Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin.
The delegation included Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain, Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwari, and regional organisers Sarjis Alam and Hasnat Abdullah.
Earlier in the day, they submitted their registration application along with supporting documents.
Later in the evening, Nahid said the party had filed “more documents than required” within the deadline.
“We have fulfilled all criteria -- 25 district committees, 105 Upazila committees, 200 supporters per Upazila, office lease documents, party charter and more.
“We are hopeful that the NCP will be registered soon,” he added.
During the meeting with the CEC, the party also raised the issue of overseas voting rights.
Nahid said: “We’ve strongly demanded that the voting rights of expatriates be protected at any cost.
“The commission has yet to decide on the process, but the CEC said it would be finalised soon.”
‘NO LEGAL RESTRICTION’
Asked if the water lily, being a national emblem, could legally be used as a party symbol, Nahid said: “We’ve reviewed the EC’s laws and regulations. We didn’t find any restrictions.
“Jackfruit is the national fruit and it’s already allotted to a party. We saw no issue, so we applied.”
He noted that the national emblem includes more than just the water lily.
“It also includes the paddy sheaf and the star. Both of these are already being used by different political parties. So we don’t see any legal problems. We have also spoken with the commission about this.”
“The water lily is a widely recognised symbol across riverine Bangladesh,” Nahid added. “As a party of the common people, we have given it the highest priority.”
The Nagorik Oikya has also applied to change its symbol from the kettle to the water lily.
Asked about the overlapping request, NCP’s Nasiruddin said: “That party already holds a symbol. Since water lily is not part of the current list, it should be settled quickly through the proper process.”
He expressed hope that the water lily, along with other new options, would be included in the revised list.
“We don’t see a suitable option in the existing list,” the NCP leader said.
“We expect the commission will add new symbols. We don’t foresee any difficulty.”
DISCUSSION WITH CEC
Nahid confirmed that the issue of symbol allocation was raised directly with the CEC.
“We told the CEC that we have filed our application after carefully reviewing all conditions and laws. We expect the commission to act impartially and in line with the law so that the NCP does not face any discrimination or injustice,” he said.
He reiterated that reform remains the party’s priority.
“Our electoral decisions will depend on the progress of reform,” Nahid added.
NEARLY 150 APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED
EC officials have said around 147 applications for party registration have been submitted.
Applications were first invited on Mar 10. By the original Apr 20 deadline, 65 new political parties had applied.
Following multiple requests, the EC extended the application period by two months, with the final deadline ending on Sunday, Jun 22.
Once all data from field offices is consolidated, the EC’s public relations division will issue an official summary.
