NCP almost ready to seek registration with EC

With just six days left before the Election Commission's registration deadline, the National Citizen Party has nearly completed its preparations for application submission. 

To stake its claim at the next general election, the NCP has met key requirements, including district and upazila committees, a central office, a charter, and voter endorsement.

Discussions are now centred on its electoral symbol, another requirement for the registration.

Three senior leaders told this newspaper that the NCP prepared a list of potential symbols, including book, pen, clenched fist, and Shapla (water lily). They said the clenched fist is most likely to be selected.

"We will submit our application to the Election Commission before the deadline. Our draft constitution has already been approved in a general meeting. Another meeting will be held this week to resolve some technical issues and finalise it," said NCP Joint Convener Sarwar Tushar.

The EC will carry out field verification and make a decision based on its regulations once the application is submitted.

As per the EC registration criteria, a party must have a committee in at least 22 districts and 100 upazilas to apply for registration.

The NCP office cell said the party has so far formed committees in 30 districts, 120 upazilas, and two metropolises, along with 13 cells and 10 wings.

In early June, the party began announcing regional committees, starting with Dhaka's two city units.

Prior to Eid, it announced upazila-level committees in Panchagarh Sadar, Tetulia, Debiganj, Boda, Kotalipara in Gopalganj, Lohagara and Kalia in Narail, Bancharampur and Sarail in Brahmanbaria, and Kachua in Bagerhat.

District-level committees have also been announced in Shoronkhola, Tangail, Kurigram, Narayanganj, Jhalakathi, Meherpur, Barishal, Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Lalmonirhat, Narail, Chuadanga, and Munshiganj. After Eid, committees were declared in several upazilas in Bandarban, Bogura, Jamalpur, and Tangail.

To qualify for registration under existing laws, a new political party must have a functional central office and effective committees in at least one-third of the country's administrative districts. It must also provide written endorsement by at least 200 registered voters from each of 100 upazilas or metropolitan police precincts.

The NCP is using the 15th floor of Rupayan Tower in the capital's Banglamotor as its temporary central office. Leaders said the party will mention this address as its central office in the EC application, but it is actively searching for a new permanent headquarters in or near Katabon, Shahbagh, Segunbagicha, or Banglamotor areas.

For registration with the EC, a party must submit 10 documents, including the party's constitution, electoral manifesto (if available), internal regulations (if available), party logo and flag, and names of all central committee members.

The other necessary documents are bank account details and current balance, funding sources, a letter of authorisation for the applicant, a non-refundable treasury receipt for Tk 5,000 as the registration fee, and proof of meeting one of the three EC-set criteria.

While the first two EC-set criteria are for old parties that participated in polls before, the third is that the party has a central office, a central committee, offices in at least one-third of the administrative districts and 100 upazilas or metropolitan areas, and a minimum of 200 voters as its members in each upazila.

On March 10, the EC issued a public notice inviting applications for registration of new political parties, setting the initial deadline for April 20. The deadline was later extended to June 22 following appeals from several aspiring parties, including the NCP.

Emerging from student leaders who spearheaded the 2024 uprising and their platform for citizens, the NCP was launched on February 28. More than a dozen new political parties have surfaced since the July uprising that toppled the Awami League government on August 5 last year.