United News of Bangladesh

The government of Bangladesh has issued the “Representation of the People (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025,” with provision that even if registered political parties form an electoral alliance, candidates must contest the polls with their own party symbols. The Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Law Ministry issued a gazette notification in this regard on Monday (3rd November 2025). Earlier, on October 23, the Advisory Council approved the draft amendment of the RPO. During discussions on amending Article 20 related to the use of coalition symbols BNP objected to the change while Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party (NCP) demanded the provision remain unchanged. Election 2026: EC directs field officials to arrange polls preparation meetings Ultimately, the government retained the rule that candidates in alliances must contest under their respective party symbols. This means that in the upcoming election, candidates nominated under an alliance cannot use the symbol of a larger or allied party but must use their own registered party symbol. The amended ordinance specifies that if two or more registered political parties agree to jointly nominate a candidate, the Election Commission may allocate the symbol reserved for the candidate’s own political party based on his or her party affiliation. Read more: 12-party alliance for allowing alliance candidates to use partner’s symbol

The local government elections will now be held dropping party symbols as a proposal in this regard was approved by the Council of Advisers on Thursday. The proposal for scrapping the provisions for using party symbols in the elections of city corporations, upazilas, pourashavas (municipalities), and union parishad was approved at a meeting of the Council of Advisers. Eliminating unemployment is our biggest challenge: Adviser Asif Mahmud Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul, LGRD Adviser Asif Mahmud and Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam briefed reporters at the Foreign Service Academy. "We are returning to the previous system (when local polls used to take place without party symbols)," the Law Adviser said, noting that the party symbols were introduced by the previous government. Magazine containing bullet found in Asif Mahmud's travel bag at Shahjalal; from licensed firearm, he says