The National Citizen Party on Thursday said that it would not accept party registration without the water lily election symbol.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with the Election Commission, NCP chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary said that the party remained firm in its demand, calling for a clear explanation from the commission.
A three-member NCP delegation met chief election commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin at the EC secretariat.
Following a two-and-a-half-hour discussion, the commission failed to provide either a legal or a political justification for withholding the symbol, said聽 NCP leader Nasiruddin.
He said that there could be other factors or hidden agendas behind the Election Commission鈥檚 decision for not allocating water lily to the NCP.
Nasiruddin said that the NCP would continue to wait until the end of the month and clarified that it was not demanding the resignation of the Election Commission.
He said that the party wished to proceed through democratic channels.
He said that the EC had been unable to provide any legal or political explanation regarding the denial of the water lily symbol, which led the NCP to suspect dishonest intent on the part of the commission.
Nasiruddin said that if the NCP did not get the symbol, the party would demand the removal of other symbols, including sheaf of paddy, Jute, and star from the EC list.
He also criticised the inclusion of certain parties in the registration list, saying that the Bangladesh National League, for example, lacked proper organisational structures, office addresses, and statutes.
Nasiruddin said that the NCP delegation also proposed that all citizens turning 18 by October 31 should be included in the voter list to ensure no eligible voter was excluded from their voting right on the election day.
NCP joint member secretary Zahirul Islam Musa and joint convener Khaled Saifullah also present at the meeting.
Earlier, on September 30, the EC had asked the NCP to select an electoral symbol by October 7, after the party met all the preliminary requirements for registration.
In its letter, the EC secretariat informed the party that its preferred symbol, the water lily, could not be allocated because it is not included in the list of symbols approved under the Election Conduct Rules, 2008.
The NCP on Tuesday sent a letter to the EC secretary, once again requesting that the party be allowed to use water lily as its electoral symbol, saying that the NCP would not accept any alternative symbol from the EC鈥檚 approved list.