The newly formed political party, Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP), has requested a 90-day extension of the application deadline for party registration. A letter regarding this request was submitted to the office of the Election Commission (EC) Secretary on Thursday.
The Chief Election Commissioner’s (CEC) Private Secretary Ashraful Alam and NCP Joint Convener Sarwar Tushar confirmed the development.
The current deadline for submitting registration applications ends this Sunday(April 20). The Election Commission has stated that it will wait until the announced deadline of April 20 and then consider the overall situation before taking further steps.
With an eye on elections in December, the EC issued a public notification on March 10, setting April 20 as the last date for registration applications.
When contacted, the CEC’s Private Secretary said that on Thursday afternoon, a letter was submitted on behalf of the NCP to the EC Secretary’s office, requesting an extension of the deadline.
NCP Joint Convener Sarwar Tushar stated that the party has requested a minimum 90-day extension of the application deadline to allow for fundamental reforms and the registration of new political parties.
He said, “A team from our party will meet with the EC to express our concerns. We will discuss the extension of the deadline and several other issues.”
What NCP Says
The Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP) was established in response to public expectations following the historic July–August 2024 mass uprising. After the uprising, an interim government led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus initiated various reform measures. As part of this, a commission was formed to reform the electoral system, which submitted a report along with its recommendations to the authorities. However, there has been no visible progress in implementing fundamental reforms to date.
Without undertaking basic reforms or modernizing existing laws, the current Election Commission issued a notification on March 10, 2025, calling for political party registrations. This sudden announcement, prior to any reforms, has drawn criticism in political and social circles.
NCP argues that the requirements for party registration under the Political Parties Registration Regulations of 2008 and related laws are completely irrational and unconstitutional. These regulations, formulated during a past autocratic regime, were designed to shrink political pluralism and consolidate power.
Considering all these aspects, NCP has urged the Election Commission to immediately implement essential reforms and extend the application deadline for new political party registration by at least 90 days.
bd-pratidin/Rafid
