ALLOTMENT OF ELECTION SYMBOLS TO POLITICAL PARTIES IN INDIA

• Who Allots: The Election Commission of India (ECI)
• Guided by: The Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968
• Covered Issues: Specification, reservation, choice, and allotment of symbols for Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies, recognizing political parties.
• Symbol Types: Reserved symbols are exclusive to recognised political parties, while ‘free’ symbols are available to unrecognized parties. Recognition as a national or state party is based on specific criteria.
• Publication: The EC publishes lists of parties and symbols in the Gazette of India

WHAT DO THE RULES SPECIFY?

• Recognition Criteria for Parties:
  • Criteria for national or state party recognition are outlined in the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
  • State-level recognition criteria include:
    • Winning one Lok Sabha seat for every 25 seats or 3% of Legislative Assembly seats.
    • Winning one Lok Sabha or two Assembly seats along with 6% of votes polled.
    • Securing 8% of votes polled in a general election.
  • Allotment of Symbols:
    • Symbols are allocated to political parties and candidates according to the provisions of the Symbols Order by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
  • Reserved Symbols for Recognized Parties:
    • A recognized political party receives a reserved symbol that is exclusive to them and not allotted to any other candidate in any constituency.
  • Common Symbols for Unrecognized Parties:
    • For registered but unrecognized political parties:
      • One of the free symbols is allotted as a common symbol during an election.
      • This is granted if the party contests in two Lok Sabha constituencies or in 5% of seats in the Assembly of a State

WHAT IS THE CURRENT ISSUE?

• Concession of Common Symbol:
  • Rule 10B of the Symbols Order allows a ‘registered unrecognised party’ to avail of a common free symbol for two general elections.
  • Eligibility for a common symbol in subsequent general elections requires securing at least 1% of votes polled in the State during the previous occasion of using this facility.
  • Parties must apply for a symbol in the prescribed format before the expiry of the term of the Lok Sabha or State Assembly.
  • Symbols are allotted on a ‘first-come-first-served’ basis.
• Case of NTK and BPAP:
  • The NTK had secured more than 1% of votes in the last two elections but applied for the symbol only in February 2024.
  • The ECI allotted the symbol to BPAP based on the ‘first-come-first-served’ rule, even though BPAP had not contested in Tamil Nadu previously.
• Case of VCK:
  • The VCK was denied a common symbol as it did not secure 1% of votes polled in the 2021 State Legislative Assembly elections.
  • Despite having one Lok Sabha MP and four MLAs in Tamil Nadu, the VCK could not obtain the common symbol.

WHAT CAN BE THE WAY FORWARD?

• ECI’s Decision and Layman’s Perspective:
  • The ECI decided on the NTK and VCK applications based on existing rules.
  • From a layman’s perspective, it seems counterintuitive that NTK, with over 6% of votes, wasn’t allotted its preferred symbol, while VCK, with elected representatives, couldn’t obtain a common symbol.
• Proposal for Rule Amendment:
  • The ECI could consider amending rules for registered unrecognised parties.
  • Proposed amendment: Parties securing at least 1% of votes in a previous election or having elected representatives should be eligible for a common symbol of their choice.
  • This change would give fair weightage to past electoral performance and enhance the democratic process.
• Advantages of Recognition:
  • Candidates from recognised parties benefit from being listed at the top of the Electronic Voting Machine ballot.
  • The threshold for party recognition could remain unchanged while offering a fair chance to unrecognised parties with substantial voter support or elected representatives.