EC sets Jan 11 deadline to drape Mayawati’s statues, BSP symbol

LUCKNOW: Putting an end to the suspense surrounding the orders to cover all statues of chief minister Mayawati and elephants in the state, the Election Commission on Sunday formally announced that "each and every statue of elephant and each and every statue of Ms Mayawati" should be covered by 5pm on January 11.

According to the orders, all statues that were constructed or erected in public places across Uttar Pradesh using government expenses will have to be covered.

The Commission has also specified that all expenditure, for veiling the statues, will have to be borne by the local authorities under whose jurisdiction the statues were built or erected. The district election officers of concerned districts have also been directed to submit a compliance report in this regard to the Commission by 7pm on 11 January.

On Saturday, Chief Election Commissioner SY Qureshi had said that the decision to cover all such statues was being taken so that they do not influence the minds of the electors, or disturb the level playing field during the UP assembly election.

UP's Chief Electoral Officer Umesh Sinha said, "The order clearly states that only the statues of the CM and the BSP's election symbol - elephant - will be covered. Statues of prominent political figures like Mahatma Gandhi, Kanshi Ram and BR Ambedkar will not be touched."

Sinha also clarified that all statues that were built or erected using funds from the public exchequer would be veiled.

In October 2010, the EC had dismissed a petition to "freeze" the elephant as BSP's election symbol. In its order of 11 October, 2010, the EC had said dismissed the justification saying the Commission was in the dark as to the places where the statues, particularly of the party's symbol 'elephant' , have been installed and what is the number of such statues installed in different places in UP.