Election Commission (EC) Secretary Akhtar Ahmed has said that the symbols ‘Shapla’ (water lily) and ‘Shapla Koli’ (water lily bud) are two distinct symbols. He clarified that the inclusion of ‘Shapla Koli’ in the list of election symbols was done in accordance with rules and not under any external influence or pressure.
Speaking to reporters after an inter-ministerial meeting at the Election Commission Bhaban in Agargaon on Thursday (November 30), the EC Secretary said, “Our list of election symbols had drawn various criticisms. Therefore, we revised the list, removing 16 symbols and keeping a total of 119. If necessary, we will revise it again.”
Regarding the ‘Shapla’ symbol not being listed in the rules, he said, “Since the ‘Shapla’ symbol is not included in the official guidelines, it cannot be allocated to any political party. However, ‘Shapla Koli’ has been added as a separate symbol. There was no external pressure or influence behind this decision.”
In response to another question, Akhtar Ahmed added, “The Election Commission itself decided that ‘Shapla Koli’ could be included. It was not added at anyone’s request. You know a political party had sought the ‘Shapla’ symbol, but ‘Shapla’ and ‘Shapla Koli’ are different. The Commission believed it could include this symbol, so it did. Since there were some adverse comments, a few symbols were dropped and others added.”
He further said, “It’s not about who requested it. The ‘Shapla Koli’ symbol was included because the EC thought it appropriate. If the Commission later feels otherwise, it can revise or remove it.”
