State Polls 2013: The curious case of election symbols and opponents' grievances

Earlier in the week, a Congress leader in Madhya Pradesh rather bizarrely suggested that all lotus ponds — the lotus is the BJP’s electoral symbol — should be covered in the run-up to the elections that are scheduled for November 25. The Election Commission (EC) said it would do no such thing. But what if the EC actually did pay heed to such requests?

A BJP spokesperson couldn’t resist wondering whether the Congress would have to consider covering its hands. There is, however, a precedent of sorts. In 2012 in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, the EC had ordered that statues of Mayawati and elephants — the BSP’s symbol — be obscured.

Rather than concealing them ahead of polls, you may wonder why they were allowed to be built in the first place. ET delves into the potential for similar grievances against objects, both natural and manmade, that serve as election symbols:

Lok Janshakti

Symbol: BUNGALOW

The only conceivable reason for having such a symbol could be to sell voters the pipe dream of owning one. But covering bungalows may not be the immediate priority in Bihar, where this party is headquartered; getting former ministers to vacate their ministerial abodes is.

Save Goa Front

Symbol: AEROPLANE

Mercifully, the EC has derecognized this two-MLA party after its merger with the Congress in 2007 — and with that the aeroplane has been grounded for good, allaying any outside likelihood of the country’s flying machines having to be shrouded.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi

Symbol: CAR

Prospects of a persistent politico petitioning the EC is the last thing the slowdown-struck automobile sector needs. Covering up bicycles, a popular symbol — the Telugu Desam Party, the Kerala Congress and the Samajwadi Party amongst others use it — may prove an even more arduous task.

Pattali Makkal Katchi, Tamil Nadu

Symbol: MANGO

Now concealing the seasonal fruit may not be needed if elections are in the non-mango season — unless of course it is decreed that the cover-up has to begin at the flower-bud stage itself. There would be other imponderables: would it also apply to pulp, shakes, juices, panna…

All India Forward Bloc

Symbol: TIGER

At one time it was a lion, but by having an endangered species as a symbol this is clearly one party that doesn’t have to worry about covering up.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

Symbol: SUN

EC intervention here would only mean one thing: campaigning, and elections, by night.