RPO: Coalition candidates must contest under own party symbols

Election Commission

Dhaka, Nov 3 – The government has issued the “Representation of the People (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025,” with provision that even if registered political parties form an electoral alliance, candidates must contest the polls with their own party symbols.

The Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Law Ministry issued a gazette notification in this regard on Monday.

Earlier, on October 23, the Advisory Council approved the draft amendment of the RPO.

During discussions on amending Article 20 related to the use of coalition symbols BNP objected to the change while Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party (NCP) demanded the provision remain unchanged.

Ultimately, the government retained the rule that candidates in alliances must contest under their respective party symbols.

This means that in the upcoming election, candidates nominated under an alliance cannot use the symbol of a larger or allied party but must use their own registered party symbol.

The amended ordinance specifies that if two or more registered political parties agree to jointly nominate a candidate, the Election Commission may allocate the symbol reserved for the candidate’s own political party based on his or her party affiliation. - UNB