The Election Commission has removed Bangladesh Awami League's electoral symbol ‘Boat,’ from its website, but incorporated Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami's electoral symbol ‘Scales.’
“The ‘Boat’ symbol was withdrawn from the website to avoid confusion among people whether it is still effective or not. But the symbol is still in the EC's schedule of the list of electoral symbols,” said EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed on Wednesday.
He made the remark while talking to reporters in the afternoon after an unscheduled meeting of Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin and four election commissioners and the EC Secretary.
The EC said the ‘Boat’ symbol cannot be used by any other one (political party).
He said the Commission withdrew the AL's symbol just from its supplementary platform (website) in the continuation of the ban slapped by the government on the AL's activities on May 12 last.
Akhtar Ahmed, however, said the ‘Boat’ symbol was not revoked rather it will remain in the schedule.
In reply to a question, he said the Commission did not remove the AL's electoral symbol due to pressure from any quarter.
About Jamaat's electoral symbol ‘Scales,’ the EC Secretary said the symbol was incorporated on the website in line with a court verdict.
Responding to another question if the EC includes ‘Water Lily’ as an electoral symbol as per the demand of the National Citizen Party-NCP, Akhtar Ahmed said the ‘Water Lily’ is not in the schedule now as per the EC’s decision. “But if the Commission wants, it can do it,” he said.