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The National Citizen Party (NCP) has demanded the reconstitution of the Election Commission (EC) and the cancellation of the 'Boat' symbol from the list of electoral symbols during a meeting with the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). The party stated that it seeks the 'Shapla' (water lily) symbol for itself and will engage in a political struggle if the demand is not met.The meeting took place on Sunday morning at the Election Commission office in Agargaon, Dhaka, starting at 11 AM and lasting over two hours. The five-member NCP delegation was led by the party’s chief coordinator, Nasiruddin Patwary, and included key organizers Hasnat Abdullah (southern region), Sarjis Alam (northern region), joint member secretary Zahirul Islam Musa, and joint convener Khalid Saifullah. After the meeting, the delegation spoke to journalists. Regarding their demand for the 'Shapla' symbol, Nasiruddin Patwary said, “There is no alternative to the Shapla for us. We believe there is no legal barrier to obtaining this symbol. If obstacles are created, we will fight politically.” Zahirul Islam Musa, the joint member secretary, demanded the cancellation of the 'Boat' symbol, stating, “As per government decisions and the Election Commission’s own stance, the registration of Awami League remains suspended. Therefore, this symbol must be legally removed from the list. We have brought this matter to the Commission’s attention and hope they will take action.” The NCP also raised the issue of reconstituting the Election Commission before the next election. Nasiruddin Patwary emphasized, “The EC must be restructured before the election. The law under which the current EC was formed also needs revision.” He suggested that a consensus-based approach should be followed, and those in the current Commission who have demonstrated good performance could be retained. Zahirul Islam Musa added that the meeting also covered the progress of the party’s registration application and the modalities for expatriate voting. “On June 22, we submitted a 43,316-page registration application to the EC. We inquired about its progress, and the Commission updated us. Additionally, we discussed the progress on three proposed methods for expatriate voting, and the Commission briefed us on this matter,” he said.
