National Citizen Party (NCP) has accused Law Adviser Asif Nazrul of assuring a particular political party of advantages regarding the proposed amendment to Article 20 of the Representation of the People Order (RPO), 1972.
The NCP raised the allegation in a letter signed by its Member Secretary Akhter Hossen and sent to the Law Adviser on Sunday, seeking the government’s official stance on the matter.
The NCP letter says, “Recent discussions surrounding the amendment to Article 20 of the RPO, 1972 have raised serious questions about your personal assurance and position favouring a specific political party. We respectfully remind you that as an adviser, you are a neutral legal counsellor of the state, not a representative of any political party.”
Offering assurance to one party regarding an electoral law amendment contradicts the neutrality and accountability expected from advisers of the post-July Uprising interim government, the letter says.
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“It must be remembered that amending such a law is not a unilateral decision—it is an institutional, consultative and public interest-driven process. Any commitment that signals alignment with a single party’s demand undermines public confidence in the administration and questions the impartiality of the interim government,” the letter reads.
The NCP also criticised the Law Adviser’s position, saying it runs counter to the views of the Election Reform Commission and the Election Commission.
Highlighting its stance, the party argued that the purpose of the political party registration system is to ensure internal democracy, financial transparency and ideological stability.
“When a registered party contests under another’s symbol, it effectively escapes its own accountability. This creates a legal inconsistency and weakens the regulatory authority of the Election Commission,” the letter mentions.
The NCP added that when multiple registered parties contest under the symbol of a larger party, voters are left confused about whom they are actually voting for. “This practice breaks the link between voters and political accountability,” the letter says.
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The letter also warned that such practices create “artificial pluralism,” enabling dominant political forces to sponsor smaller “proxy parties” that later echo their views in Parliament and committees. “This undermines genuine diversity of opinion and distorts the process of building national consensus,” it read.
Endorsing the position of the Election Reform Commission and the Election Commission, the NCP reiterated that Article 20 of the RPO should be amended to explicitly prohibit any registered political party from contesting under another party’s election symbol.
“If joint nominations or alliance-based candidacies are necessary, the concerned parties should formally unite and register as a single new political entity with the Election Commission,” the party suggests.
The NCP argues that such reform would not restrict political pluralism but rather strengthen genuine democratic diversity. “It will ensure every party takes responsibility for its own name, policy, and leadership — a prerequisite for protecting voters’ rights, state transparency, and constitutional balance,” the letter says.
Akhter Hossen urged the Law Adviser to clarify the government’s official position on both issues mentioned in the letter.