ELECTORAL SYMBOLS -
POLITY
News: How are symbols allotted to
political parties? | Explained
What's in the news?
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The Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) that secured 3.9% and
6.5% votes in Tamil Nadu in 2019 and 2021 respectively, has been allotted a new
common symbol (Mike).
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The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) that
secured 1.09% and 0.99% votes in 2019 and 2021 has been denied a common symbol
(Pot).
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This has raised questions about the allotment of
symbols to ‘registered unrecognised parties’.
Election Symbols:
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The Election
Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968 empowers the Election
Commission to recognise political parties and allot symbols.
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An electoral or election symbol is a standardized
symbol allocated to a political party.
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They are used by the parties during their
campaigning and are shown on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), where the voter
chooses the symbol and votes for the associated party.
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They were introduced to facilitate voting by illiterate people, who can’t read the name of
the party while casting their votes.
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In the 1960s, the ECI stated that the recognition
of political parties is supervised by the provisions of Election Symbols
(Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968 and so will the allotment of symbols.
Election Symbols and
Recognised-unrecognised Parties:
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The Election Commission registers political parties
for the purpose of elections and grants them recognition as national or state
parties on the basis of their poll performance. The other parties are simply
declared as registered-unrecognised parties.
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The recognition determines their right to certain privileges like allocation
of the party symbols, provision of time for political broadcasts on television
and radio stations and access to electoral rolls.
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Every national party and every state party is
allotted a symbol exclusively reserved for its use throughout the country and
the states respectively.
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A recognised
political party has a reserved symbol that is not allotted to any other
candidate in any constituency.
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For registered
but unrecognised political parties, one of the free symbols is allotted as
a common symbol during an election if that party contests in two Lok Sabha
constituencies or in 5% of seats to the Assembly of a State as the case may be.
Current Issue and
Procedure:
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Rule 10B of the Symbols Order provides that the
concession of a common free symbol shall be available to a ‘registered
unrecognised party’ for two general elections.
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Furthermore, a party
shall be eligible for a common symbol in any subsequent general election if it
had secured at least 1% of votes polled in the State on the previous occasion
when the party availed of this facility.
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Such an unrecognised party should however apply for
a symbol every time in the prescribed format.
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This application can be made any time during the
period commencing six months prior to the expiry of the term of the Lok Sabha
or State Assembly as the case may be. The symbols are thereafter allotted on a
‘first-come-first-served’ basis.
Current Issues:
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In the above cases, the NTK had secured more than
1% of votes in the last two elections with the common symbol of ‘Ganna Kisan’.
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However, since they applied for that symbol only in
February 2024, the ECI had allotted that symbol to Bharatiya Praja Aikyata
Party (BPAP), that had applied earlier, based on the ‘first-come-first-served’
rule. However, the BPAP has not contested elections in Tamil Nadu before.
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The VCK was declined allotment of a common symbol
as it had failed to secure 1% of votes polled in the elections to the State
Legislative Assembly in 2021. The VCK notably has one Lok Sabha MP and four
MLAs in Tamil Nadu contesting on the ‘Pot’ symbol in 2019 and 2021 elections.
Election Symbols
(Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968:
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Under Paragraph 15 of the Order, EC can decide
disputes among rival groups or sections of a recognised political party staking
claim to its name and symbol.
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The EC is the only authority to decide issues on a dispute or a merger
under the order. The Supreme Court (SC) upheld its validity in
Sadiq Ali and another vs. ECI in 1971.
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This applies to disputes in recognised national and state parties.
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For splits in registered but unrecognised parties,
the EC usually advises the warring factions to resolve their differences
internally or to approach the court.
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In almost all disputes decided by the EC so far, a
clear majority of party delegates/office bearers, MPs and MLAs have supported
one of the factions.
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Before 1968, the EC issued notifications and
executive orders under the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961.
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The splinter group of the party – other than the
group that got the party symbol – had to register itself as a separate party.
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They could lay claim to national or state party
status only on the basis of its performance in state or central elections after
registration.
Types of Symbols:
As per the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) (Amendment) Order,
2017, party symbols are either:
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Reserved: Eight national parties and 64 state parties across
the country have “reserved” symbols.
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Free: The Election Commission also has a pool of nearly
200 “free” symbols that are allotted to the thousands of unrecognised regional
parties that pop up before elections.
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Exclusive Symbols: Recognized national and state
parties are granted exclusive symbols, signifying their established status.
Symbol Selection by
Parties:
1. Preference Lists:
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Unrecognized parties provide a list of ten
preferred symbols from the free symbol pool.
2. Proposal of New
Symbols:
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Parties can propose up to three new symbols for
consideration, provided they do not resemble reserved or free symbols, carry
religious or communal connotations, or depict birds or animals.
3. Common Symbol
Assignment:
● The ECI may allot a proposed symbol as a common symbol for the party if it deems it suitable.