No room for confusion over JaPa’s registration, symbol: presidium member Rezaul

There's no room for confusion over Jatiya Party’s registration and symbol, said Jatiya Party (JaPa) presidium member Rezaul Islam Bhuiyan on Sunday.

He said this emerging from a meeting between a team of GM Quader-led Jatiya Party (JaPa) and Election Commissioner Anwarul Islam Sarker at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital.

The JaPa team comprised three presidium members --Saifuddin Ahmed Milon, Rezaul Islam Bhuiyan and Iqbal Hossain Tapos— went to the Election Commission to learn about its current stance regarding the party’s registration and symbol.

Rezaul Islam said the council held in the name of Jatiya Party under the leadership of Anisul Islam Mahmud and Ruhul Amin Hawlader is illegal.

“The council can no way be valid. It was approved neither by the party chairman nor the presidium body,” he said.

The Election Commission informed them that they will discuss the issue next week, said Rezaul Islam.

“We believe that the registration and symbol will remain under the GM Quader-led Jatiya Party as it did in the past,” he went on.

In the last parliamentary, upazila and city corporation elections, candidates under GM Quader’s leadership contested with the ‘plough’ symbol and were elected. “So, the matter is already clear from the legal perspective,” he said.

Rezaul said the move taken by them (the Anisul-Hawlader group) to demand registration and symbol (ploung) is unacceptable in any way.

"We have informed the Election Commission in writing. We hope that the EC will officially confirm its stance in favour of us within a day or two," he said.

JaPa Office Secretary Mahmud Alam told UNB their team went to the Election Commission in the wake of circulation of rumours about their party.

On August 10, the Anisul-Hawlader group submitted a letter to the EC seeking recognition for their newly elected leadership, just a day after holding what they called the party’s 10th council on August 9.

Later on August 14, Jatiya Party (JaPa) faction, led by GM Quader and Shameem Haidar Patwary, met Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin to refute the claim placed by the Anisul-Hawlader group.