The National Citizens’ Party (NCP) has alleged that the Election Commission (EC) is refraining from allocating the party its preferred ‘Shapla’ (water lily) electoral symbol due to external pressure despite no legal barriers.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday after a coordination meeting of the NCP’s district and upazila committees in Moulvibazar, the party’s chief organiser for the northern region, Sarjis Alam, claimed the EC was “failing to show courage” in the face of pressure.
“There is no legal obstacle, yet under pressure the EC does not dare to give the NCP the Shapla symbol. This is their failure. We even proposed a white Shapla or a red Shapla, but they could not manage the courage,” Sarjis said.
He also launched a sharp attack on the ruling Awami League and Jatiya Party (JaPa), saying both parties “should be barred from contesting future elections and held accountable.”
On the recent incident in New York involving harassment of anti-government activists, Sarjis criticised the government’s “failure” to take preventive measures during foreign trips, saying, “The government should acknowledge its limitations and take clear action rather than just issuing statements.”
Senior NCP leaders including Joint Convener Ehthesham Haque, Joint Member Secretary Pritom Das, and Moulvibazar District Coordinator Fahad Alam were present at the meeting.
