NCP wants 'water lily' as it is a symbol of the people: Nahid

Nahid Islam, convener of National Citizen Party (NCP), said today that the party had asked for water lily as their party symbol as it is a symbol of the people, of mass uprisings, and of rural Bangladesh.

He also said that the party has submitted all necessary papers fulfilling EC's political parties registration conditions.

Nahid spoke to reporters at the Election Commission building around 7:00pm after meeting with the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin.

Regarding the request for the water lily symbol, Nahid Islam said, "We have reviewed the laws of the Bangladesh Election Commission and found no such restrictions or prohibitions. Our first choice is the water lily. We hope that NCP will get the water lily as it is a symbol of the people, of mass uprisings, and of rural Bangladesh. We intend to contest the upcoming election with this symbol. We also discussed the issue of voting rights for expatriates during our courtesy meeting with Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin."

He further said, "The water lily is not the only national symbol. The water lily, the paddy sheaf, and the star — all of these are considered national symbols. Among them, the paddy sheaf and star are already allotted to two political parties. So we see no legal obstacle in this regard. We have spoken with the Election Commission about it. We have applied giving top priority to the water lily, which is well-known across riverine Bangladesh. As a party of the common people, we are prioritising the water lily as our election symbol."

He also said, "We have fulfilled more than the conditions set by the Election Commission. NCP has formed committees in 25 districts and 105 upazilas. In addition, we have submitted to the Election Commission the filled-out forms with 200 supporters from each upazila, official documents of office agreements in each district and upazila, and the party constitution."

As part of its application, the NCP earlier in the day reported forming 130 upazila-level committees and approximately 30 district committees across the country.

He added, "Our draft constitution was passed in the general assembly [of the party] the day before."

In response to a question about whether the party would form an electoral alliance, Nahid Islam said, "Right now, a reform initiative is underway for the National Consensus Commission. Prof Muhammad Yunus has given a public commitment that a July Charter will be adopted based on that consensus. So, our top priority at the moment is reform. Depending on how the reform progresses, we will make our decision regarding the election."

Nahid Islam said, "We strongly urged that expatriates' voting rights must be ensured at any cost. The Election Commission has not yet decided on the process, but they assured us that it would be finalised soon."