Zakir Hossain / Dhaka
Bangladesh’s Election Commission (EC) has removed the electoral symbol of ousted former premier Sheikh Hasina’s now-banned Awami League (AL) Party— the Boat— from its official website, following the suspension of the party’s registration. The move, confirmed by EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed on Wednesday (July 16), comes amid growing public and political pressure.
“The symbol was removed based on the directive of the commission,” said Md. Rafiqul Haque, System Manager at the EC Secretariat, confirming that it was taken down following orders from higher authorities. The development follows a court order that led to the suspension of the Awami League’s registration. The EC website now reflects this status. Previously, despite the suspension, the Boat symbol remained in the draft schedule of electoral symbols, sparking controversy.
The student-led National Citizen Party (NCP), during a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin on July 13, demanded the EC remove the Boat symbol and allocate the “Shapla” (water lily) as its own electoral emblem.
Earlier, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud had stated that the Boat would remain in the EC’s symbol schedule for the time being despite the AL’s suspended registration. This position was widely criticised. On Tuesday night, Local Government and Cooperatives Adviser Asif Mahmud lashed out at the EC in a Facebook post, writing: “Under what consideration did you send the cursed ‘Boat’ symbol to the Ministry of Law again for schedule inclusion?” He further questioned the EC’s impartiality: “Do you want to return the symbol to the refined version of the defeated Awami League of their dreams? As a citizen of Bangladesh, I raise this question to the Election Commission.”
The Boat’s removal follows backlash over proposed electoral rule amendments that included the Boat among 115 symbols, alongside the “Scales” symbol controversially added after Jamaat-e-Islami’s registration. The EC’s current schedule lists 69 symbols— 51 for parties and 18 for independents— with the updated list set to expand to 115.