EC rules out 'Shapla' as election symbol

The Election Commission (EC) has decided not to include "Shapla" (water lily) as an election symbol under the Election Conduct Rules.

Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud confirmed the development while speaking to reporters this evening.

Political party Nagarik Oikya had sought the "Shapla" as its electoral symbol in place of its previous one, the kettle. Simultaneously, the newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP) also applied for registration, requesting "Shapla" as its election symbol.

As the "Shapla" is the national emblem of Bangladesh, the commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, made the decision amid debates over allocating it as a party symbol.

Ahead of the upcoming 13th parliamentary election, the EC plans to increase the number of electoral symbols from the current 69 to at least 115 for registered parties and independent candidates.

To facilitate this, the commission will amend the symbol list under the Election Conduct Rules and send it to the law ministry for vetting soon.

"Shapla is not being included in the newly proposed list of symbols. It will not be scheduled as an election symbol. This is a policy decision we have taken," Commissioner Masud said.

He explained that the law clearly defines the status of the national emblem and the national flag.

"The Constitution defines both the national emblem and the national flag. There are laws and rules to preserve their dignity. While there is no specific rule about national flowers or birds, the water lily (Shapla) is clearly enshrined as a national emblem in the Constitution," he said.

He added, "We have already made the decision in principle that Shapla will not be included in the symbol schedule—primarily because it is a national emblem. The Constitution specifies that the national emblem includes a floating Shapla surrounded by rice sheaves. To uphold its dignity and status, legal provisions exist. Based on those, the decision to exclude it from the symbol list was taken earlier—and we are now reaffirming that. The expanded list of proposed election symbols is being finalised and will be sent to the Law Ministry soon."

Meanwhile, Sarjis Alam, NCP chief organiser (North), in a Facebook post, said, "The water lily is not the national emblem; it is only a part of it -- just like the paddy sheaf, jute leaf, and the star.

"If the water lily cannot be used as a political symbol because it's part of the national emblem, then the same should apply to the paddy sheaf ... On the other hand, if any element of the national emblem can be used as a party symbol, then the water lily should be allowed as well. There is no legal barrier to using the water lily as a symbol, since jackfruit, [which is] our national fruit, is already used as an election symbol."