EC to allocate a symbol if NCP fails to choose from list: Secretary

The Election Commission (EC) has once again sent a letter to the National Citizen Party (NCP) asking them to select an electoral symbol from the designated list, report agencies.
EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed told this while speaking at a briefing on Tuesday.
He said if the NCP fails to inform the commission of their chosen symbol according to the election conduct rules next Sunday, the EC will allocate one to the NCP using its 'own method'.
The EC has decided to register two parties, including the NCP, ahead of the 13th parliamentary election. The process of publishing a gazette notification, including the symbols for the two parties, is currently under way.
Previously, the EC had written to the NCP on September 30, asking them to select a symbol from the 50 symbols on the list by Oct 7.
When the NCP failed to pick a preferred symbol by the deadline, they requested a revision of the rules to allocate the Shapla (water lily) symbol to the party. However, the EC remains firm in its position not to allocate that symbol to any party.
Akhtar said, "Even though the NCP is demanding the Shapla, it could not be allocated as it is not on the list. The EC's decision remains the same.