Thu Sep 25 08:46:33 UTC 2025: **Summary:**
Bangladesh’s newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP) is threatening to disrupt upcoming elections after the Election Commission (EC) denied their request to use the water lily (“shapla”), the national emblem, as their electoral symbol. The NCP, a prominent offshoot of the student movement that ousted the previous Prime Minister, insists on the symbol despite the EC stating it is not on the official list. They have warned of potential disruption to the polls if their demand isn’t met. Political analysts predict a challenging election for the NCP, especially following their poor performance in recent university student union elections.
**News Article:**
**Bangladesh’s NCP Threatens Election Disruption Over Symbol Dispute**
*Dhaka, Bangladesh – September 25, 2025* – Bangladesh’s political landscape faces renewed uncertainty as the National Citizen Party (NCP) threatens to halt the upcoming February elections. The NCP, a significant faction emerging from the “July Uprising” student movement that led to the ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is locked in a dispute with the Election Commission (EC) over its desired electoral symbol: the “shapla,” or water lily, which also happens to be the national emblem of Bangladesh.
The EC has denied the NCP’s request, citing that the “shapla” is not included in the official list of 115 approved electoral symbols. “According to the rules, political parties must choose a symbol from the approved list,” stated EC Senior Secretary Akhter Ahmed.
NCP leaders are furious over the decision. “The commission could not show any legal logic for not allocating the shapla (water lily) as our symbol,” claimed NCP convenor Nahid Islam. Chief Coordinator Sarjis Alam went further, threatening to disrupt the elections if the demand isn’t met. “Unless we get it, we will see how the election is held and how someone could dream of attaining power,” Alam posted on social media.
The NCP, which expects to win 150 constituencies in upcoming elections is banking on nominations including former army officers, women, farmers and workers involved in the July uprising.
Analysts suggest the NCP faces an uphill battle in the upcoming polls. Recent defeats in student union elections at Dhaka University and Jahangirnagar University, where the Jamaat-e-Islami-backed Islami Chhaita Shibir dominated, cast doubts on the NCP’s widespread appeal. The Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, the student wing of Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party, also witnessed an astounding defeat, though it emerged as the second biggest student group in the central students union polls in the two universities.
The NCP’s stance raises concerns about the stability of the electoral process, with the threat of disruption looming large. The Hindu.
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