Boat symbol removed from EC website

The Election Commission (EC) has removed the boat symbol from its website.

The constitutional body has taken down the symbol boat that was previously displayed next to the name of the Awami League (registration suspended).

Md. Rafiqul Haque, System Manager at the EC Secretariat, told the reporters that the symbol was removed following instructions from higher authorities.

Earlier, on Tuesday night Local Government Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan criticised the Election Commission in a Facebook post, writing, “On what grounds did you send the cursed boat symbol for scheduling to the Ministry of Law again?”

Controversy arose over the inclusion of the boat symbol following the proposed amendment to the electoral conduct rules. The draft includes a proposal to preserve 115 symbols, among which the scales symbol was also added after the registration of Jamaat-e-Islami. However, despite the suspension of registration, the Awami League's symbol boat was retained in the draft, sparking criticism.

Currently, the number of symbols listed in the EC’s schedule stands at 69 - 51 reserved for political parties and 19 for independent candidates. Once the new list is finalised, the number of symbols will rise to 115.