BNP has called for the retention of the previous provisions under the Representation of the People Order (RPO) regarding the use of election symbols in alliance-based polls.
The party raised its objection to the amendments to the RPO ordinance in a letter sent to Law Adviser Asif Nazrul.
BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmad delivered the letter to the adviser at the Secretatiat in the capital n Tuesday, reports agencies.
After submitting the letter, Salahuddin told reporters that a recent amendment to Section 20 of the RPO had been approved in a meeting of the Advisory Council.
"According to the amendment, a political party contesting as part of an alliance must use its own symbol. Previously, parties within an alliance could either choose their own symbol or that of another allied party," he said.
He also said while BNP agreed with several other amendments in the draft, including provisions on no-confidence voting, higher candidate deposits, and expanded powers for the Election Commission to cancel polls in case of irregularities, but the party could not accept specific change regarding election symbols.
The BNP leader said he had previously discussed the matter informally with the law adviser when the draft was sent to the Ministry of Law for vetting.
"He (adviser) assured me that the issue would be brought to the government's attention and given due consideration. However, when the ordinance was passed by the Advisory Council, we observed that the issue had not been taken into account," he said.
The BNP leader added that the party had also sent a similar letter to the Election Commission a few days ago and had formally submitted it to the law adviser on Wednesday.
"We hope this provision will remain as before for the sake of multiparty democracy. Even smaller parties have important national leadership whose presence in parliament would enrich legislative debates and ensure representation of diverse ideals," he said.
On the law adviser's response, Salahuddin said: "He assured us he would raise the matter with the government, discuss it with relevant advisers, and if necessary, consult the Election Commission to determine the next steps."
He criticised the Election Reform Commission for imposing the amendment without prior consultation with BNP or discussions in the National Consensus Commission. Such unilateral imposition was not appropriate.
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