BNP on Tuesday 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 over amendments to the RPO ordinance in a letter to Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Asif Nazrul.
BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmad delivered the letter on Tuesday.
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 contesting within an alliance could choose either their own symbol or that of another allied party,” he said.
He also said that while BNP agreed with several other amendments in the draft, such as provisions on no-confidence voting, increasing candidate deposits, and enhanced powers for the Election Commission to cancel polls in case of irregularities, the party could not agree with this particular 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 considered appropriately. However, when the ordinance was passed by the Advisory Council, we found the concern had not been addressed,” 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.