The recent decision by Bangladesh's Election Commission (EC) to reject the water lily (Shapla) as an electoral symbol for the National Citizens Party (NCP) and Nagorik Oikya has sparked much discussion, with many sides weighing in.
On June 22, the NCP formally applied for registration with the EC. The party had listed "Shapla" as their top preferred electoral symbol, while it also included "Pen" and "Mobile Phone".
The Shapla symbol, however, got a firm rejection.
Explaining the decision, Election Commissioner Md Alamgir said the move was a "policy decision".
The EC said the symbol will not be allocated to any party in order to protect the dignity of national symbols.
Criticising the decision, Sarjis Alam, chief organiser (Northern Region) of NCP, said if water lily could not be a symbol as it was a national symbol, then neither could paddy sheave, the electoral symbol of the BNP.
The paddy sheave is indeed a national symbol, as it appears on the national emblem, surrounding the water lily. But, importantly, the water lily is also the national flower, making it more significant.
But there is precedence.
The Bangladesh National Awami Party (Muzaffar), founded by Muzaffar Ahmed, a political party registered with the Election Commission on November 3, 2008, still uses the jackfruit as its election symbol, which is the country's national fruit.
Speaking to Dhaka Stream, Election Commissioner Brigadier General (Retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah said as two parties had applied for the symbol, it couldn't be given to just one. He also said they would allot symbols according to their list.
Further details would be provided soon, he added.
An official of the Election Commission under the condition of anonymity, said the EC can provide any symbol from its list. But they fear that granting the Shapla symbol might result in controversy.
"We are still trying to take decision on this," he added.
The EC's defence right now remains the law.
The Bangladesh Names and Emblems (Prevention of Unauthorised Use) Order, 1972, restricts the use of the emblem, along with other national symbols, by individuals or organisations without proper authorisation.
Meanwhile, the entire discussion and debate perhaps underscore a deeper truth: electoral symbols in Bangladesh are far more than just "Marka".
They are woven into the nation's political identity, history, and public accessibility.
And it's a history that goes quite far back in time.
Scuffling Over Symbols
From ancient Athens to modern South Asia, symbols have played a crucial role in elections. But their contemporary use in Bengal began in 1937 under British rule.
In India, Sukumar Sen, the country's first Chief Election Commissioner, recognised that 85 per cent of voters were illiterate during the 1951–52 elections.
His solution was simple: recognisable symbols, so voters could identify parties without reading names.
This system proved so effective that it remains integral to this region even today.
The Government of India Act 1935 introduced provincial autonomy, leading to the first elections where parties like the Indian National Congress (Spinning Wheel), the All India Muslim League (Crescent and Star), and Sher-e-Bangla A.K. Fazlul Huq's Krishak Praja Party (Plough) used electoral symbols to connect with voters.
After independence, in India, in July 1951, the EC held meetings with political parties to assign symbols. That led to disputes as several parties, including Congress, Socialists, Communists, and Peasants & Workers, all wanted the plough symbol, which was previously reserved for Sher-e Bangla AK Fazlul Haque's Krishak Praja Party.
The Socialists objected to Congress abandoning its traditional charkha for the plough.
To resolve the issue, the plough was denied to all.
Instead, Congress received the symbol of two bullocks with a yoke, and the Socialists got a tree.
A similar challenge arose in East Bengal.
In the 1954 East Bengal Legislative Assembly election, the United Front (Jukto Front), led by the All Pakistan Awami Muslim League, asked for the same plough as their electoral symbol.
But the then Pakistan EC showed the same cause as their Indian counterpart, which led the United Front to choose Boat (Nouka) as their electoral symbol.
The Boat later became synonymous with the Awami League, while its offshoots and rivals chose other agrarian symbols reflecting Bangladesh's rural roots.
In 1957, Mawlana Abdul Hamid Bhasani broke away from the Awami League and formed the National Awami Party (NAP).
The party chose The Sheaf of Paddy (Dhaner Shish) as their electoral symbol.
Following the party's split in 1967, NAP (Wali) adopted the hut (kureghor) as its symbol, while NAP (Bhashani) kept the sheaf of paddy and used it in the 1973 general election in independent Bangladesh.
Later, when the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) was established seven years after independence, many former NAP (Bhashani) members joined this newly formed party. The BNP adopted the Sheaf of Paddy as its symbol.
After Bangladesh's independence, the National League contested the 1973 general election using the plough symbol.
In 1984, the party's leader, Ataur Rahman Khan, joined the Jatiya Party (JAPA), founded by Hussain Muhammad Ershad.
The party later adopted the plough as its electoral symbol. In the 1999 Tangail-8 by-election, Ershad's Jatiya Party and the breakaway faction led by Manzur clashed over the right to use the plough symbol. The Election Commission rejected both claims, but the High Court later ruled in Ershad's favour.
Again in 2013, JAPA decided not to contest the 2014 general election and requested the Election Commission not to allocate the plough to any party.
In 2023, the party also demanded the cancellation of the anchor symbol to the EC, arguing it resembled the plough and could confuse voters.
By 2024, Ershad's Jatiya Party split into two factions, both claiming the plough symbol. The Election Commission stated that only the faction with a legitimate chairman, as per the party constitution, could use the symbol.
The Commission allocated the symbol to Quader's faction, while Rowshan's faction claimed ownership based on previous court rulings.
In 2016, the Supreme Court decided not to let any political party use its monogram, the 'weighing scale', as an electoral symbol, which is also Jamaat's electoral symbol.
On June 4, 2025, the Election Commission reinstated Jamaat-e-Islami's registration as a political party and assigned the "Daripalla" (weighing scale) as its official election symbol. This followed a June 1 Supreme Court Appellate Division ruling directing the Commission to restore the party's registration and address-related matters.
Why Symbols Still Matter
In a country where functional literacy remains a challenge for many, electoral symbols ensure that democracy is not just for the educated elite.
They bridge the gap between parties and voters, allowing even the most marginalised citizens to participate meaningfully in elections.
As Bangladesh moves forward, the tale of its electoral symbols remains constant in politics; sometimes, a picture speaks louder than words.
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