The amendment to Article 20 of the Representation of the People Order, which eliminated the option for parties within an alliance to contest elections with a common symbol, has sparked debate among political parties.
The government on Monday promulgated the Representation of the People (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 through an official gazette.
The amendment mandates that each party in an alliance must use its own electoral symbol, ending the practice of contesting with a shared emblem.
Talking to the 抖阴精品, party leaders on Tuesday voiced differing opinions on the change, with some viewing it as a step towards greater transparency in elections, while others criticised it as potentially disruptive to electoral coalition strategies.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party criticised the amendment that it favoured a few parties, undermining the alliance tradition.
The Jamaat-e-Islami supported the move, insisting that electoral symbols should reflect individual party characters.
The National Citizen Party welcomed the RPO ordinance, saying that the mandatory use of individual symbols would strengthen parliamentary representation.
The Revolutionary Workers鈥� Party called for flexibility and phased implementation of the new rule, warning that an immediate enforcement could create difficulties for many parties ahead of the February elections.
BNP standing committee member Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku criticised the government ordinance amending the RPO, saying that the change had been made to satisfy a few parties.
He questioned the rationale for the move, saying that alliance partners had been contesting elections with a common symbol since 1954.
Tuku said that he was dissatisfied with the decision, as he believed that it disregarded the historical norms聽 of electoral alliances.
Earlier, on October 28, BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed met Law Adviser Asif Nazrul to oppose the amendment.
He urged that the earlier provision allowing alliance partners to contest elections with a common symbol be maintained, warning that the new rule, which required each party in an alliance to use its own symbol, could disadvantage smaller parties and limit parliamentary representation.
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad said that the government should implement the gazetted RPO Ordinance without yielding to political pressure.
Azad warned that if the government gave in to pressure, the process would be undermined and public confidence in voting, which was already low, would further decline.
He said that constantly changing decisions under political pressure was unacceptable and would distract from proper election preparations.
National Citizen Party joint convener Sarwar Tusher expressed support for the government decision mandating that all political parties contest elections using their own respective symbols.
He dismissed the opposition from some parties, referring to them as 鈥榦ne-man parties鈥� that sought to secure a single seat.
Tusher said that the BNP had previously supported the use of individual symbols but was now seeking the option to contest elections with a common symbol -- likely due to its potential coalition arrangements.
Tusher warned that disregarding the principle of individual symbols could create challenges in parliamentary representation, particularly affecting the upper house.
Revolutionary Workers鈥� Party of Bangladesh general secretary Saiful Haque said that he had requested the Election Commission to allow parties the option to choose an alternative symbol for the February election, without imposing a strict compulsion.
He said that although his party supported the principle of using individual symbols, not all parties were currently prepared to follow the new rule.
Saiful, also a leader of Ganatantra Mancha, said that the flexibility should be limited to the February polls and suggested that the mandatory rule on symbol usage be phased in gradually, taking effect from the next general election, expected in 2029 or 2030.
He explained that sudden enforcement of the rule could be difficult for many parties and noted that his party had formally communicated this request to the Election Commission.
