The Election Commission (EC) of Bangladesh has removed the ‘boat’ symbol, traditionally associated with the Bangladesh Awami League, from its official website following the suspension of the party’s registration.

As of Wednesday morning (July 16), the EC’s website no longer displays the boat symbol next to the Awami League, which is now marked as “registration suspended.” According to Rafiqul Haque, System Manager at the EC Secretariat, the symbol was removed following instructions from higher authorities.

The removal follows public criticism, including a Facebook post by local government advisor Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan on Tuesday night. He questioned why the EC had considered referring the controversial boat symbol to the Ministry of Law for scheduling despite the party’s political ban. He accused the Commission of undermining the people’s uprising and preserving the symbol to serve undisclosed agendas.

On August 5, 2024, a mass uprising by students and the general public led to the fall of the Awami League’s 15-year rule. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India. On May 12, the government officially banned all political activities of the Awami League and its affiliated organizations, after which the EC suspended the party’s registration.

Earlier, on July 13, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahman El Mahsouod had stated that although the Awami League’s registration was suspended, the boat symbol had not yet been removed. He also clarified that the Shapla (water lily) symbol was not being included at that time.

The delay in removing the boat symbol sparked protests from the National Citizen Party (NCP), which formally demanded its removal during a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner A.M.M. Nasir Uddin at the Election Commission headquarters.