Limited time to be a ‘symbolic trouble’ for smaller Parties

The Election Commission on Monday allotted the bicycle symbol to Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC), an ally of ruling AIADMK. During the last 2016, Assembly polls the TMC led by former union minister GK Vasan contested in coconut symbol. During this election, the party will contest in bicycle symbol from Thanjavur Lok Sabha seat. GK Vasan told a press conference that the party will field NR Natarajan in Thanjavur seat under the AIADMK alliance.

The Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi had also approached the EC seeking pressure cooker and gold ring symbol respectively, the plea from the opposition parties is now undergoing bureaucratic procedures adding tension among the parties. Naam Tamizhar Katchi which had recently got the symbol – a farmer with sugarcane had also planned to conduct awareness programmes to popularise its new symbol.

“Our party has reached out to the Election Commission and the judiciary seeking pressure cooker symbol popularised by our party deputy general secretary TTV Dhinakaran. We are confident that the court and the EC will render justice to us,” said Sukumar Babu, organising secretary, AMMK. Our leader TTV had also instructed the party workers to be ready if there is a situation for us to contest in different symbols. AMMK cadres are ready even for such a scenario, Babu added.

VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan on Monday reiterated that the EC had been delaying the allocation of a symbol to the VCK. “Parties which had applied after VCK has got their symbols allotted, but there is no idea why our application is getting delayed,” Thirumavalavan opined.

“There are procedures to be followed as per the EC instructions. In case of the VCK, the file is pending with the EC,” an informed Election Commission official said. In the case of the AMMK it is not a registered party and due to this reason, they are treated as independent, the official clarified.

When contacted, Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo on the symbols, the top official said that the EC headquarters in Delhi deal with the issues related to party symbols. In case of the TMC, the bicycle symbol had been allotted by the EC and there are no instructions regarding the AMMK and the VCK, Sahoo told DT Next.

To a query that Samajwadi party and TMC share the common bicycle symbol and whether it will create confusion at the time of polls, the CEO clarified that the EC would have taken the decision as per the latest recognition status of the parties which depend on the poll percentage obtained by the state parties. The parties are given symbols as per the guidelines and recognitions like national parties, state parties and registered parties, Sahoo explained.

However, there is dissent brewing among the parties. “The actions of the EC look prejudiced. However, we are ready with our farmer carrying sugarcane symbol. EC took too much time to allocate the symbol. Just 28 days are left now to popularise our party symbol,” fumed Senthil Kumar, a Naam Tamizhar Katchi cadre in North Chennai.

Meanwhile, the ruling AIADMK camp is relieved as the Delhi High Court recently ruled the case related to two leaves in favour of the AIADMK led by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam.

The AMMK had filed two separate petitions before the Supreme Court. In an appeal petition the AMMK has demanded two leaves symbol and in another petition, the AMMK has demanded cooker symbol, a free symbol allotted to independent candidates.

The ‘pressure cooker’ symbol was allotted to Dhinakaran faction last year during the bypolls to the high-profile RK Nagar constituency earlier represented by former chief minister J Jayalalithaa. Dhinakaran won the RK Nagar with a margin of over 40,000 votes.