Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP) Chief Coordinator for Northern Region, Sarjis Alam, has accused the Election Commission of yielding to political pressure and denying the party its desired electoral symbol, ‘Shapla’.

He made the allegation on Thursday while speaking to journalists following a coordination meeting organized by Moulvibazar district committee at a local restaurant.

Sarjis claimed that although there are no legal barriers to granting the symbol, the Election Commission is refusing to do so under external influence.

“Despite being an independent institution, the Commission is not acting independently in this matter. This is a failure of the EC,” he said.

During his remarks, he also took aim at political parties that participated in 2014, 2018 and upcoming 2024 elections, stating that their involvement helped legitimize Awami League.

According to him, such parties should not be allowed to contest in the next election.

He urged voters to break the cycle of electing unqualified candidates based solely on party symbols and instead choose competent individuals who can represent the people effectively.

“Every five years, citizens get the chance to practice democracy. If we repeat the same mistakes, we must also accept responsibility,” he said, referring indirectly to past election cycles.

Sarjis also condemned the recent attack on NCP leader Akhtar Hossain in New York, allegedly carried out by supporters of Awami League.

He further stated that NCP has already taken legal action, with the party’s member secretary filing a case in a New York court.

On the upcoming national election, Sarjis stated that there is no legal or logistical reason preventing it from being held in mid-February.

However, he emphasized that before that, the verdict on the genocide trial, as per July charter, must be visibly delivered.

He called for fundamental political reforms and a Constituent Assembly election to establish a stronger legal foundation for governance.

Without such measures, he warned, the process would be a betrayal of public expectations.

Sarjis also laid out a detailed plan for strengthening NCP at the grassroots level.

Addressing party activists at the coordination meeting, he directed that all upazila committees in Moulvibazar must be formed by October 15. This must be followed by the formation of union and ward-level committees by November 15.

He made it clear that there is no room for corrupt individuals in the party’s organizational structure.

According to his plan, each ward should select five qualified individuals, resulting in 45 representatives at union level. With ten unions in an upazila, this would lead to a 450-member upazila conference, which he described as a path to organizational transparency and credibility.

The meeting was chaired by Fahad Alam, Chief Coordinator of NCP Moulvibazar district unit. Also present were central leaders including Joint Convenor Ehtesamul Haque, Joint Member Secretary Pritam Das and District Coordinator Sanaul Haque Suez.