Staff Reporter :
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Tuesday called for maintaining the previous provisions of the Representation of the People Order (RPO) concerning the use of election symbols in alliance-based polls.
The party voiced its objection to the recent amendment to the RPO in a letter addressed to Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Asif Nazrul.
BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmad delivered the letter in person.
After submitting the letter, Salahuddin told reporters that the government’s Advisory Council had recently approved an amendment to Section 20 of the RPO.
“Under the new amendment, any political party contesting as part of an alliance must use its own electoral symbol. Previously, parties in an alliance could either use their own symbol or that of an allied party,” he explained.
He said that while the BNP agreed with several other proposed amendments-such as introducing a no-confidence provision, increasing candidate deposits, and strengthening the Election Commission’s authority to cancel elections in case of irregularities-the party could not endorse this specific change regarding electoral symbols.
Salahuddin mentioned that he had earlier discussed the issue informally with the law adviser when the draft amendment was sent to the Ministry of Law for vetting.
“He (the adviser) had assured me that the matter would be brought to the government’s attention and given due consideration. However, when the ordinance was later passed by the Advisory Council, we found that our concern had not been addressed,” he said.
The BNP leader added that the party had already sent a similar letter to the Election Commission a few days earlier and had now formally submitted its position to the law adviser.
“We hope this provision will remain unchanged in the interest of multiparty democracy. Smaller parties also have capable national leaders whose representation in parliament can enrich legislative debates and promote diversity of opinion,” he said.
Regarding the law adviser’s response, Salahuddin said: “He assured us that he would raise the matter with the government, consult with relevant advisers, and, if necessary, discuss it with the Election Commission to decide on the next course of action.”
He also criticised the Election Reform Commission for introducing the amendment without prior consultation with BNP or discussions within the National Consensus Commission, saying such unilateral decisions were inappropriate.
