NCP agrees to 'Shapla Kali'

The Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP), which is in the process of registering as a political party, has finally agreed to adopt the 'Shapla Kali' symbol. The party said that their first choice was 'Shapla', but as per the rules of the Election Commission, they are adopting the 'Shapla Kali' symbol.

The party's Joint Member Secretary Zahirul Haque Musa informed reporters about this after meeting the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) office at 3 pm on Sunday (November 2).

Earlier in the afternoon, a delegation led by NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwari, Joint Member Secretary Zahirul Haque Musa and Joint Convener Khaled Saifullah entered the Election Bhaban.

After the meeting, Zahirul Haque Musa said,

“Last Thursday, the Election Commission published a gazette with some new symbols. In continuation of this, we have applied to the EC today. Our first choice is ‘Shapla’, second is ‘Sada Shapla’ and third is ‘Shapla Kali’. If the ‘Shapla Kali’ symbol is given, the NCP will accept it.”

He also said,

“We hope that the EC will quickly issue a public notification taking the matter into consideration. This will complete the party’s registration process quickly.”

‘Shapla Kali’ symbol added to the gazette

A few new symbols were listed in a gazette signed by Election Commission Secretary Akhtar Ahmed last Thursday. The ‘Shapla Kali’ symbol was added there, which is now included in the list that can be allocated to parties seeking registration.

A source in the Election Commission said that since the ‘Shapla’ symbol is not in the election conduct rules, it is not possible to allocate it to any political party. However, the NCP is accepting the 'Shapla Kali' symbol as it is approved in the rules.

NCP's long-standing demand

The NCP had been demanding the allocation of the 'Shapla' symbol for a long time. The party leaders believe that the 'Shapla' symbol is in line with their ideology and the ideology of the organization. However, due to legal complications, they finally agreed to an alternative symbol.

Registration process and next steps

Ahead of the 13th National Parliament elections, the Election Commission has started the process of registering two new political parties. One of them is the Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP). Currently, verification is underway to see if there are any objections to the party.

EC officials said,

"Once the objection period ends, the names and symbols of the newly registered parties will be officially announced after verification."

Political analysis

According to political analysts, if the NCP gets registration, a new possibility will be created in the country's political arena. Because the party has announced to work on the 'civil rights of the people' as its main basis.

At the same time, they also commented that the addition of a new symbol, 'Shapla Kali', to electoral politics could create a new visual identity for voters.