It is like the poor man blames tools. The opposition parties in the DMK and others blame the Election Commission of India (ECI) for not allocating the symbol of their choice or the existing ones. Ahead of the April 19th Lok Sabha polls, parties fight intensively to get their choice of symbols. Some even approached the court for direction—the last date for filing nominations ended on March 27.
Tamil Nadu’s political terrain is different, and it is difficult to gauge how it swings. Yesterday was a day of mixed fortunes for Tamil Nadu-based political parties in court and ECI. It boosted the AIADMK led by Edapadi K Palaniswamy (EPS) as the ECI confirmed the Two Leaves symbol for it. At the same time, it was a shock for O Panneerselvam’s (OPS) last-minute attempt to get the Two Leaves, which is very familiar with the masses as it belonged to MGR and Jayalalithaa as the Tamil Nadu votes go by the symbols only on that D day. Yesterday, ECI told the Delhi HC that its order in the AIADMK dispute in April last year, giving two leaves as a symbol to the faction led by EPS, stands now.
Vidhuthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), led by Thol Thirumavalavan, could not get the desired common symbol. ECI rejected MDMK’s claim for top symbols. Both are allies of DMK combined. In a letter to VCK, the ECI explained that the party was not ineligible to get a common symbol as it had not scored the minimum of one per cent votes in the last election. VCK sought allotment of a common symbol during the Lok Sabha election in the Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala constituencies.
EC secretary Jaydev Lahiri said, citing para 10B of the EC Symbols (Reservation and allotment) Order, “A party that has availed the concession on twooccasionsn shall however be eligible for the concession in any subsequent general election subject to the condition that on the previous occasion when the party availed of a facility, the votes polled by all the at the general election in the state concerned was not less than 1 percent of the total valid votes polled in the state. The ECI officials said VCK was allotted ring as its common symbol in the simultaneous election to TN and Puducherry assemblies in 2016. In 2019 it was given two symbols pot and stool for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. In the elections contested by VCK, it did not get the minimum of one total valid votes in the mentioned states to avail of facility for the third or more time”.
Thol Thirumavalava accused the ECI of acting biasedly, denying poll symbols demanded by parties in the opposition. Vaiko-led MDMK could not get any relief from Madras HC after the ECI informed the court that only parties contesting in at least two or more seats could claim allotment of a common or particular symbol. The MDMK is contesting in the only constituency; it is not eligible for a preferred symbol, namely the Top spin.
Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK)manifesto released by the party’s chief coordinator Seeman mooted symbol-free elections in India, saying this alone can ensure a level-playing field for political parties in the country. “If it is impossible, all parties and candidates should be allotted numerals as in the United States to ensure a level-playing field, and the elections should be conducted without symbols.” He said denying the ‘sugarcane farmer’ symbol to NTK is a “great injustice”. Seeman said those who allied with the BJP this election, like the Tamil Manila Congress and AMMK, got their symbols readily. He said, “However, the symbols preferred by VCK and MDMK were denied as they are not the allies of the saffron party.
Introducing the Mike symbol allotted to his party, Seeman, who faced six elections in the ‘Sugarcane Farmer’ symbol, lost the symbol to Bharatiya Praja Aikyata Party on a ‘first come, first symbol basis. It was learnt that he did not renew the request in the format prescribed by the ECI.
The queer pitch of OPS (Ottakarathevar Panneerselvam), allegedly AIADMK, triggered candidates with similar name sake to file their nominations in Ramanathapuram. OPS is contesting as an Independent candidate with the support of the BJP and seeking some free symbols.
Now four others as O Pannerselvam, son of Ochappan of Mekilaarpuram in Madurai, O Panneerselvam, son of Oyyaram of Ramanathapuram, O Panneerselvam of Ocha Thevar and O Pannerselvam of Oyya Tehevar of Solai Alagupuram. OPS fears it may confuse the voters while casting their votes if the nominations of the four name sakes are accepted.
In Tamil Nadu, DMK has been contesting since 1958 Rising Sun ( contested earlier by one A Govindasamy as an independent and was later inducted into the cabinet to get that symbol by DMK leaders). His son, AG Sampath, is now in the BJP camp. AIADMK’s Two Leaves symbols were allotted when it was formed and contested in 1972. It was frozen after MGR’s death, which resulted in a split into two factions, but it restored Jayalalithaa and proved hers to be real. In 2017, both OPS and EPS factions again claimed it belonged to them. Now, it has been given to the EPS faction.
For PMK, it had to forgo the elephant after BSP took it on, becoming a national party in 1997. It has been using Mango afterwards. DMDK is one of the four state-recognized political parties that have kept (the Damaru/Drum) symbol intact since 2007.
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