The bizarre world of India’s political party symbols includes a nail cutter and a stethoscope.
Plenty to choose from. Reuters/Rupak De Chowdhuri
Everyone associates the Aam Aadmi Party with a symbol of a jhaadu, or
broom, but had the Election Commission (EC) not allowed its usage, the
party could have contested under signs ranging from a diesel pump to a
frock. These are among the wonderful and slightly bizarre symbols on the
EC’s latest list of 85 free symbols that any aspiring party or independent candidate can choose from.
+
The EC realized the need
for party symbols during India’s first election in 1952. Since a
significant section of the population was illiterate, they needed a
foolproof way for voters to be able to identify their chosen parties
while maintaining a secret ballot. While six national parties and 45
state parties have been allotted permanent symbols by the EC, India also
had 1,392 registered parties as of 2013 that had not managed to win
enough votes to be recognised by the commission and thus have to contest
for a limited number of icons.
+
As with parties themselves, the full list of symbols is a work in progress. In 2004, there were 10 fewer available symbols for candidates to choose from. Some symbols moved up to the state parties list in this decade, but the rest are additions that reflect modernization.
+
The
ceiling fan and telephone of 2004, for instance, are joined by an air
conditioner and dish antenna in 2014. Alongside the saw and the
scissors, the tools of traditional trades, there is also a stethoscope
and sewing machine, which might reflect growing white-collar
aspirations.
+
Voters
in 2014 could also potentially vote for the chess board and not just
the carom board, a comment, if ever, on the nature of the political
system. Cricket gets two mentions with a bat and a batsman. Even AAP’s
jhaadu did not exist in 2004, it having been added some time between
2004 and 2012, when the EC assigned it to the Naitik Party of Uttar
Pradesh. Inexplicably, the axe has disappeared, perhaps because it is
less desirable to bring a potential weapon to a rally than something
like the All India Trinamool Congress’ flowers and grass.
+
The
symbols themselves reflect the preoccupations of various election
commissioners over the years and lend themselves to rough categories.
There are 28 symbols that are household implements, with kitchen staples
such as a cup and saucer, a mixee and a plate stand to more generic
ones such as an almirah, table lamp and window (no door, alas).
+
There
are half as many items of clothing and personal grooming. One is the
fabulously named “lady purse” that looks as if it could knock a row of
harassers flat without breaking a stitch. There is also a toothbrush,
presumably to remind voters that twice a day is best for dental hygiene,
and a lacy frock that looks as if it wandered right out of the 1950s.
+
The
two transport vehicles that survive on the free symbols list are the
auto and a dolli, the car having been taken by the Telangana Rashtriya
Samiti. If you are of the gourmand nature in the right constituency, you
could help a candidate have his or her cake and eat it too, or even
instill healthy eating habits in children by telling them how you voted
for a cauliflower.
+
Despite
the range of choices, some state parties still manage to vie for the
same symbols. The bicycle speaks as a quixotic symbol of a common man’s
empowerment and has the most number of repeats. The Samajwadi Party and
Telugu Desam Party both use the two-wheeler, but so do the National
Panthers Party of Jammu (Kashmir) and the Manipur People’s Party
(Manipur).
+
Elephants
and lions are the only animals to remain on the list of symbols,
reportedly after complaints of ill-treatment of live animals during
rallies. The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (Goa), the Hill State
People’s Democratic Party (Meghalaya) and the All India Forward Bloc
(West Bengal) are votaries of the lion, though they run the disadvantage
of never being able to campaign with the real-life version of their
mascot.
+
The
sun has some oddly specific variations. One is the Tamil party Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagam’s rising sun that shines forth from a mountain range.
This sun also adorns DMK leader M Karunanidhi’s vast network of media
outlets, thus ensuring maximum visibility even through the period of a
common code of conduct. The other sun is one without rays, assigned to
the Zoram Nationalist Party of the northeastern state of Mizoram. Since
voters cannot be expected to recognise a simple stodgy circle as a
glowing orb of light, the commission’s artist simply scribbled inside
the circle to produce the impression of depth.
+
The EC will announce the complete list of symbols for this general election after nominations close on April 5.
+
No comments:
Post a Comment