Dhaka, Oct 14 (V7N) — The Election Commission (EC) has said that there is no provision in the rules to allocate the ‘Lotus’ (water lily) symbol to the National Citizens Party (NCP).

Speaking at a press briefing at the Election Building on Tuesday (October 14) afternoon, EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said, “If the NCP refuses to accept any symbol other than ‘Lotus’, the EC will allocate a symbol at its own discretion. If the party fails to decide by October 19, the EC will make the final decision.”

The NCP has remained adamant about securing the Lotus symbol — which it considers central to its political identity — and has met and written to the EC multiple times on the issue. Party leaders have even warned of street protests and reconsidering their participation in the upcoming national elections if their demand is not met.

However, the EC has maintained a firm stance, reiterating that ‘Lotus’ is not listed among the allocable election symbols, making it legally impossible to grant the request.

Meanwhile, responding to a question about the possibility of a referendum on implementing the July National Charter, the EC Senior Secretary said that the matter has not yet been discussed at the Commission level. “Once the Consensus Commission submits its recommendation, the EC will decide accordingly,” he added.

The EC also announced that it will hold a coordination meeting on October 20 with the army, navy, air force, and law enforcement agencies to discuss security preparations for the upcoming national elections.