Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad yesterday asked the Election Commission not to allocate his party's electoral symbol “plough” to any MP aspirant, “as JP is not contesting the January 5 national elections”.

He communicated the message to Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed in two separate letters, forwarded by Ershad's special adviser Bobby Hajjaj.
“Jatiya Party has decided to cancel the nomination papers of all the JP candidates...,” the JP chief said in one of the letters.
Party insiders told The Daily Star that most of the JP aspirants, including Ershad, have withdrawn their nomination papers.
“We will be able to give you specific information tomorrow, the last day for withdrawing the nomination papers, if anyone violates the party decision,” said JP treasurer Maj (retd) Khaled Akhtar.
He confirmed that Ershad has withdrawn his nominations for the Dhaka-17, Rangpur-3 and Lalmonirhat-1 constituencies.
JP Secretary General Ruhul Amin Howlader said yesterday that the party will stick to its decision even if the ruling Awami League offers them 60 seats.
Replying to a question, he said he knew nothing about JP presidium member Raushan Ershad's recent initiative to participate in the polls.
Ershad had announced on December 3 that his party would boycott the elections due to the absence of a level playing field. As such, he directed his party men to withdraw the nomination papers by December 13.
Meanwhile, the EC yesterday completed hearing the 138 appeals against cancellation of candidatures by the respective returning officers. It allowed 40 of the candidates to contest the polls.
Information Minister and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal President Hasanul Haq Inu sent a letter to the CEC, asking him to step up security for him and his family.