A fierce four-way battle has erupted over the ownership of the Langol (plough) symbol as GM Quader's Jatiya Party, Roshan Ershad's faction, Anisul Islam Mahmud's breakaway group and the resurgent Bangladesh Jatiya League (BJL), are hopeful of regaining registration from the Election Commission (EC), all claiming Langol as their own symbol.
Once a defining emblem of Hussain Muhammad Ershad's political legacy, the symbol has now become the centerpiece of a multi-pronged dispute among rival factions of the divided JP and BJL.
What began as a long-standing intra-party feud has now escalated into a complex legal debate over political heritage and institutional legitimacy. The controversy re-emerged after the EC confirmed that the BJL, a party established in 1969 under the leadership of former East Pakistan Chief Minister Ataur Rahman Khan, has fulfilled all conditions for registration and intends to reclaim what it calls its "original symbol." "This symbol (plough) is our original symbol," said Jatiya League Chairman Mahbubul Alam. "The founder of the party, Ataur Rahman Khan, was elected with the plough symbol. Therefore, the original claimant of the plough symbol is Bangladesh Jatiya League. We will file a demand with the Election Commission to get our symbol, the plough, back."
Historical records show that the Jatiya League first contested the 1970 National Assembly elections under the plough symbol and continued to use it in the 1973 and 1979 parliamentary elections. However, when Ataur Rahman Khan joined General Ershad's government in 1984, the Jatiya League effectively dissolved allowing the newly formed Jatiya Party to inherit the symbol during Ershad's political ascendancy. Since the introduction of mandatory party registration in 2008, the Jatiya Party under different leaderships has consistently contested national elections using the plough symbol, which is legally tied to registration number 12 of the EC.
The situation has become increasingly complicated with the emergence of three rival JP factions led respectively by GM Quader, Roushan Ershad and Anisul Islam Mahmud - all laying claim to the plough as their rightful electoral identity. The split has pushed the EC into a difficult position as it faces multiple competing claims. "I get confused when I hear the name of the Jatiya Party. There are half a dozen of them," Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin admitted when asked who would ultimately retain the symbol.
The factional conflict deepened in the aftermath of the 12th National Parliament elections. The faction loyal to GM Quader maintains that it is the only legally recognized Jatiya Party under the current registration system.
"There is no reality of losing the Jatiya Party symbol in view of the demand of a new party," said GM Quader-led JAPA Secretary General Shamim Haider Patwary.
"The plough symbol has been the Jatiya Party's since the registration system was introduced. If any new party claims the plough symbol after registration, they will have to choose another one. If any complications arise, we will deal with it legally."
Meanwhile, the factions led by Anisul Islam Mahmud and ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader have formally written to the EC demanding that their leadership be recognized as the legitimate authority of the Jatiya Party .
The dispute over the plough symbol is not new. The Jatiya Party has undergone multiple splits since Ershad's rule, with factions led at various times. In 1999, when Anwar Hossain Manju went to court claiming the symbol plough, the court ruled in favour of Ershad affirming that the plough symbol legally belonged to his Jatiya Party. However, Ershad's death, internal divisions resurfaced. Roushan Ershad, who once served as the opposition leader, later demanded the plough for her own faction.
Adding another layer of intrigue, Ershad's former wife Bidisha Siddique recently told the media, "Surprises will come to the Jatiya Party in the new year. Saad and Eric, Ershad's two sons, will be the bearers of the plough of the future."
What began as a symbolic dispute has now evolved into a larger political and legal test of institutional consistency in Bangladesh's electoral system. With rival factions, legacy claimants and the Election Commission locked in a standoff, the fate of the Langol symbol has once again become a reflection of Bangladesh's turbulent political tradition - where heritage, legality and power often plough through the same contested field.
