Dhaka, Oct 14 (V7N) — The National Citizens Party (NCP) has declared that it will not accept registration from the Election Commission (EC) unless it is granted the Lotus (water lily) symbol.

The party’s Joint Convener Sarwar Tushar made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon (October 14) in response to the EC secretary’s recent remarks.

Tushar accused the EC secretary of exhibiting “dictatorial behavior,” saying, “The Lotus symbol must be allocated by the commission. If any complication arises in the election regarding this issue, the EC will have to take full responsibility.”

He also claimed that the EC’s decision has “no legal basis,” adding that the commission can include the Lotus symbol in its list “if it wants to.”

Meanwhile, Hasnat Abdullah, the NCP’s chief organizer for the southern region, reiterated in a verified Facebook post that the party “will get the Lotus.”

Earlier, EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed stated that the NCP cannot be allocated the Lotus symbol as it is not included in the list of approved symbols. He also noted that if the party fails to choose an alternative by October 19, the EC will assign one at its discretion.

The NCP, however, remains adamant about its demand, warning that it may reconsider participation in the upcoming elections if denied the Lotus symbol.

END/SMA/AJ