EC allots тАШtwo swords and shieldтАЩ poll symbol to Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde | India News
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Tuesday allotted the poll symbol тАШtwo swords and shieldтАЩ to Balasahebanchi ShivSena led by Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde. Any candidate to be put up in an election by the Shinde faction can contest on this symbol until determination of the factional dispute in the Shiv Sena.
The Shinde faction had on Tuesday reverted to EC with a fresh list of preferred symbols after all its three choices тАФ trishul (trident), rising sun and тАШgadaтАЩ (mace) тАФ were turned down by the poll panel on Monday. While trishul and gada were rejected on account of their religious connotation, rising sun was denied as it is the reserved symbol of DMK, a state party recognised in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
The fresh list submitted by the Shinde group proposed three new symbols тАФ sun/surya/sooraj, тАШdhal talwarтАЩ (shield and sword) and тАШpeepal treeтАЩ. Incidentally, none of these figure in the EC list of notified free symbols. The Commission, while denying the faction тАШsun/surya/soorajтАЩ as poll symbol, decided to go with the second preference тАФ тАШdhal talwarтАЩ (shield and sword) тАФ albeit with a tweak.
Stating that тАШdhal talwarтАЩ resembles an erstwhile reserved symbol тАФ тАШdo talwarein aur ek dhalтАЩ (two swords and a shield) allotted to PeopleтАЩs Democratic Party that was derecognised in 2004 and delisted on December 26, 2016, EC said it had, based on Balasahebanchi ShivSenaтАЩs request, decided to declare тАШdo talwarein aur ek dhalтАЩ to be a free symbol and allot it to the candidate to be set up by the group.
Sharing reasons for rejecting the Shinde groupтАЩs first preference тАФ тАШsun/surya/soorajтАЩ тАФ EC said the name of the proposed symbol resembled that of the тАШsun (without rays)тАЩ symbol reserved for Zoram Nationalist Party, a recognised state party in Mizoram, and тАШrising sunтАЩ symbol of the DMK, a recognised state party in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Para 9 of the Symbols Order restricts allotment of symbols reserved for state parties in states where such parties are not recognised.
Even in design, EC pointed out, the тАШsunтАЩ symbol proposed by Balasahebanchi ShivSena resembled Zoram Nationalist PartyтАЩs тАШsun (without rays)тАЩ symbol and could also be confused with other free symbols notified by EC, such as apple, cauliflower and football.
On Monday, EC had recognised the rival Shiv Sena faction led by Uddhav Thackeray by the name тАШShivSena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)тАЩ and allotted it the тАШflaming torchтАЩ (mashaal) symbol. While the Thackeray faction will field a candidate in the Andheri East byelection, the Shinde faction could back the candidate to be put up by its ally BJP.
The Shinde faction had on Tuesday reverted to EC with a fresh list of preferred symbols after all its three choices тАФ trishul (trident), rising sun and тАШgadaтАЩ (mace) тАФ were turned down by the poll panel on Monday. While trishul and gada were rejected on account of their religious connotation, rising sun was denied as it is the reserved symbol of DMK, a state party recognised in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
The fresh list submitted by the Shinde group proposed three new symbols тАФ sun/surya/sooraj, тАШdhal talwarтАЩ (shield and sword) and тАШpeepal treeтАЩ. Incidentally, none of these figure in the EC list of notified free symbols. The Commission, while denying the faction тАШsun/surya/soorajтАЩ as poll symbol, decided to go with the second preference тАФ тАШdhal talwarтАЩ (shield and sword) тАФ albeit with a tweak.
Stating that тАШdhal talwarтАЩ resembles an erstwhile reserved symbol тАФ тАШdo talwarein aur ek dhalтАЩ (two swords and a shield) allotted to PeopleтАЩs Democratic Party that was derecognised in 2004 and delisted on December 26, 2016, EC said it had, based on Balasahebanchi ShivSenaтАЩs request, decided to declare тАШdo talwarein aur ek dhalтАЩ to be a free symbol and allot it to the candidate to be set up by the group.
Sharing reasons for rejecting the Shinde groupтАЩs first preference тАФ тАШsun/surya/soorajтАЩ тАФ EC said the name of the proposed symbol resembled that of the тАШsun (without rays)тАЩ symbol reserved for Zoram Nationalist Party, a recognised state party in Mizoram, and тАШrising sunтАЩ symbol of the DMK, a recognised state party in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Para 9 of the Symbols Order restricts allotment of symbols reserved for state parties in states where such parties are not recognised.
Even in design, EC pointed out, the тАШsunтАЩ symbol proposed by Balasahebanchi ShivSena resembled Zoram Nationalist PartyтАЩs тАШsun (without rays)тАЩ symbol and could also be confused with other free symbols notified by EC, such as apple, cauliflower and football.
On Monday, EC had recognised the rival Shiv Sena faction led by Uddhav Thackeray by the name тАШShivSena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)тАЩ and allotted it the тАШflaming torchтАЩ (mashaal) symbol. While the Thackeray faction will field a candidate in the Andheri East byelection, the Shinde faction could back the candidate to be put up by its ally BJP.
