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The National Citizen Party has backed down from its previous rigid demand for the ‘water lily’ as its election symbol and agreed to accept ‘water lily bud’ as its symbol.

NCP chief coordinator Nasir Uddin Patwary announced the decision on Sunday after a meeting with the chief election commissioner at the Election Commission headquarters in the capital’s Agargaon.


‘The National Citizen Party had submitted a letter to the Election Commission  requesting ‘water lily’, ‘white water lily’ or ‘water lily bud’ as the possible party symbol,’ he said.

He hastened to add that if they were given the ‘white water lily’ they would take it as their grassroots members had responded positively to the lily bud symbol.

Ahead of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad elections, the Election Commission has decided to register two new parties, including the NCP.

The commission has earlier given the NCP until October 7 to choose a symbol from a list of 50 approved ones.

However, instead of selecting from the approved list, the NCP demanded the ‘water lily’ symbol through a rule amendment.

The EC repeatedly stated that it could not grant the symbol since it was not on the official list.

Amid the strong stance of the NCP leaders on the party’s election symbol and warnings of street protests, the Election Commission on Thursday added four new symbols — including ‘water lily bud’ — to the list.

Asked why the party softened its position, Nasiruddin said, ‘You may call it an “engineering commission”. We have come into an engineered field where many things are engineered. So, from within this engineered system, we’re continuing our fight. And as part of that fight, we’re applying for the “water lily bud” symbol.’

He said, ‘Yes, we are taking water lily bud. Some may wonder why we’re doing this after insisting on water lily. . .But should we stay stuck over a symbol and not enter the election phase? Considering the broader interest, we are making this decision.’

Meanwhile, the council of advisers on October 23 approved the final amendment to the Representation of the People Order, stipulating that even in an electoral alliance each registered party must contest with its own symbol.

The BNP later sent a letter to the Election Commission objecting to this rule and demanded its cancellation while the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami supported retaining the clause.

On Sunday, the NCP also submitted a written appeal to the CEC urging that the provision be kept.

In its letter, the NCP stated, ‘The Election Commission’s decision to ensure every registered party contests with its own symbol is both historic and ethically correct.’

If the government or commission now, the NCP said, backtracks under BNP’s political pressure—just before the gazette publication—it will not only undermine the commission’s independence but also damage public confidence in the entire electoral process and the government’s integrity.

The NCP further warned that any shift in the EC position under BNP influence would cast ‘serious doubts among the public about the neutrality, capacity, and credibility’ of the election authority and the broader election process.

Meanwhile, NCP convener Nahid Islam on Sunday accused the BNP of undermining the reform process recommended by the National Consensus Commission.

He also accused the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami of attempting to delay the upcoming Jatiya Sangsad elections.

His remarks came at a press briefing at the NCP central office in Dhaka, where he also said that the BNP tried to oppose the fundamental points of the consensus commission with notes of dissent from the very beginning.

Nahid further said, ‘We are moving forward with plans for all the 300 constituencies for the upcoming polls. I will contest from Dhaka. We may announce the list of our candidates within this month.’

Nahid said, ‘This raises questions — among the people and to us as well —about how committed they really are to reforms while Jamaat activities suggest they might have a hidden motive to delay the elections. So, one party is derailing the reform while the other is trying to delay the polls.’

He observed that the BNP and the Jamaat have once again fallen into disagreement over whether the referendum should be held before or on the day of election.

He further said, ‘We think the executive order should be issued within this month. A referendum should be held on the reforms where consensus has already been achieved — either on the polls day or earlier. That decision should be left to the government and the Election Commission,’ he said.

‘If the July Charter is issued from the so-called president’s office, it will have no legal or political legitimacy,’ Nahid warned.

Asked if the NCP planned to join any political alliance, Nahid said, ‘If a party is not committed to reforms, we can’t form an alliance with that. However, if another party’s positions are close to our core demands, we may consider coordination or an understanding.’