The National Citizen Party (NCP), formed by leaders of the recent student movement, has failed to meet the minimum criteria required for political party registration with the Election Commission (EC), according to an official notice issued by the commission. The EC has identified numerous deficiencies in the party’s application and has granted a 15-day period for correction.
A key requirement unmet by the NCP is the mandatory presence of at least 200 registered voter members in a minimum of 25 upazilas or police station jurisdictions. The EC’s preliminary review found that NCP could not fulfill this crucial criterion. Additionally, several documents submitted by the party were deemed incomplete or inconsistent.
In a letter addressed to NCP Convenor Md. Nahid Islam, the EC outlined multiple flaws in the application. These include:
- Absence of a complete list of functional district offices with proper addresses.
- Lease agreements for the Dhaka and Sylhet district offices that fail to mention the party’s name.
- Missing details of upazila/thana-level offices.
- Lack of the required number of registered voter-members in several locations.
- Missing or incomplete lease documents in areas like Itna and Haluaghat.
- Omission of fund amount in Form-1, field 9, and absence of financial source details.
- Missing signatures on the final page of the executive committee’s resolution on registration.
Furthermore, the EC raised concerns about the party’s constitution. It reportedly lacks provisions for nominating parliamentary candidates through a panel system prepared by ward, union, or upazila-level committee members and finalized by the central parliamentary board— a process mandated by EC regulations.
The party also failed to submit a declaration from its chief affirming that NCP’s activities do not violate the Constitution of Bangladesh and that no individual convicted under the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act or the Collaborators Order is part of the organization.
The EC’s findings also revealed voter membership discrepancies in numerous upazilas. In some cases, voter counts fell short of the 200-member threshold; in others, voters from unrelated upazilas were counted, or individuals were listed multiple times. For example, in Dimla upazila, NID numbers were missing for about 20 listed members.
A breakdown of member counts in underperforming upazilas includes:
- Nalchhiti: 175
- Habiganj Sadar: 181
- Palash: 193
- Kalia: 184
- Jaldhaka: 158
- Sonagazi: 188
- Kasba: 136
- Madarganj: 108
- Sarishabari: 176
- Dhanbari: 185
- Gangachara: 163
- Brahmanbaria Sadar: 169
- Madhupur: 147
- Ajmiriganj: 186
- Dhamrai: 174
- Karnaphuli: 157
- Savar: 130
- Vedarganj: 149
- Monoharganj: 146
- Uttara West: 169
- Ishwarganj: 195
- Banani: 194
- Banshkhali: 136
- Poba: 180
- Dimla: 194
Back in April, the Election Commission had invited applications from parties seeking registration ahead of the 13th National Parliamentary Election. Following requests from NCP and 45 other parties, the deadline was extended to June 22. By that date, 147 applications from 144 political parties were submitted.
EC sources confirmed that from this week, letters are being sent to all applicant parties identifying specific deficiencies and instructing them to address the issues within a set deadline. Field-level verification will follow submission of corrected documents. Failure to comply within the specified timeframe will result in disqualification from registration.
As the countdown to the next national election begins, this development puts emerging parties like the NCP at a critical juncture—where administrative preparedness may determine their political future.
