Election Commission gazettes 115 symbols, ‘Shapla’ not included

Awami League’s “boat” symbol remains suspended

The Election Commission has reserved 115 symbols for registered parties and independent candidates for the 13th parliamentary polls, excluding the expected “Shapla” symbol of the National Citizen Party.

The revised list has been published in the gazette of the parliamentary election rules, signed by EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed on Wednesday.

As per the gazette, the Awami League’s registration and its “boat” symbol remain suspended, while the remaining symbols will be available for allocation to other candidates.

The list of reserved symbols for party and independent candidates has expanded from 69 to 115, with 50 registered parties and five suspended.

Several new parties are also expected to obtain registration this time.

Alongside the party-specific logos, the EC has reserved symbols for independent candidates as well.

The NCP had sought the inclusion of the “Shapla” symbol, but the EC excluded it, denying the party the chance to contest under that symbol.

The reinstated Jamaat-e-Islami has regained its “weighing scale” symbol in the gazette.

Although there had been calls to remove the Awami League’s “boat” logo from the list, the EC has retained it in a suspended status.