Election Commission (EC) Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed has announced that a series of dialogues will begin on September 28, ahead of the 13th National Parliamentary Election. The first phase will involve representatives from civil society and academia.

He shared the information while speaking to journalists on Tuesday, September 23, at the EC headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka.

According to the secretary, the opening round of the dialogue will focus on educators and civil society members, with further sessions to follow.

Addressing another issue, he mentioned that the Ministry of Law has reviewed and vetted the updated list of electoral symbols and submitted it to the commission. The water lily symbol is absent from the approved list, meaning the National Citizens’ Party (NCP) cannot use it. The party has been asked to propose an alternative from the existing pool of approved symbols.

This development follows a statement made on September 22 by NCP chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwari, who had expressed hopes that the party would obtain both registration and the water lily as its election symbol.

The controversy stems from objections raised by many who claim that the water lily is a national emblem of Bangladesh, and therefore cannot be allotted to any political party. The NCP, however, insists it sought the symbol as the national flower, not as a state emblem.

Meanwhile, EC’s Public Relations Director Ruhul Amin Mallik earlier noted that once the commission gives clearance, official invitation letters for the dialogue will be dispatched. The dialogue process is planned to run for one to one-and-a-half months, engaging political parties, academics, civil society, women’s representatives, and journalists.

Because new party registration procedures are still ongoing, the EC is considering scheduling sessions with political parties in October. Officials said the participant lists are being prepared, and parties will be notified at least a week to 10 days in advance of their sessions. Holiday schedules, including Puja and weekly breaks, will also be taken into account.

This will mark the first round of dialogues under the current commission led by Chief Election Commissioner M. M. Nasir Uddin. Key issues expected on the agenda include electoral legal reforms, security measures, postal ballots, and other election-related matters.