Chief election commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin said that the newly formed National Citizen Party could not be allotted the electoral symbol it chose because it was not on the Election Commission鈥檚 official list.
鈥榃hen a political party is registered, it has to choose its electoral symbol from our designated list. As the NCP鈥檚 desired symbol was not there, so we could not allocate it to the party,鈥� he said.
The chief election commissioner was speaking to聽 journalists after a meeting with law enforcement and administrative officials at the circuit house in Chattogram on Sunday.
Nasir, however, commented, 鈥楾he commission may increase or decrease the number of symbols if it wishes to do so. But no decision has yet been made regarding the NCP鈥檚 request.鈥�
He added that the decision was not meant to deprive any party but to maintain a rule-based and transparent electoral process.
鈥業t is not a policy decision to exclude anyone. Rather we are following the rules to ensure transparency,鈥� he said.
About election security preparations, Nasir said that special measures had been taken to maintain law and order during the upcoming polls.
The drive to recover illegal arms is going on, said the chief election commissioner, adding that it was not a one-day task but a continuous process.
鈥極ur goal is to ensure that every voter, male or female, can come to the polling centre in a safe environment and cast their vote freely. Law enforcement agencies will remain on a maximum alert,鈥� said CEC Nasir.
He said that vulnerable areas, including Chattogram, had already been identified and law enforcement was conducting regular operations to prevent the use of illegal weapons in the elections.
Urging all to refrain from spreading misinformation and rumors, Nasir said, 鈥榃e have formed a special cell to prevent the spread of false and misleading information on social media. Both local and foreign experts are involved in this initiative.鈥�
The meeting was attended by Chattogram divisional commissioner Dr Mohammad Ziauddin, Chattogram range deputy inspector general of police Mohammad Ahsan Habib Palash, the Chattogram Metropolitan Police commissioner Hasib Aziz, and heads of different government entities.