New Delhi: Election Commission on Thursday allotted the poll symbol ‘Man Blowing Turha’ to Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar, which the party had indicated as its first preference.
Asked by the poll body to choose from the list of ‘free symbols’ — or symbols other than those ‘reserved’ for exclusive use by recognised parties — NCP(SCP) had listed three choices: ‘Man Blowing Turha’ (trumpet), ‘Autorickshaw’ and ‘Torch’ in order of preference.
Reports said ‘Man Blowing Turha’ being a free symbol, there was no scope for EC to raise any objection to its use by NCP(SCP), including in the imminent general elections. “Man Blowing Turha is allotted to the group/party in all the parliamentary constituencies in the State of Maharashtra,” EC said in a letter sent to Sharad Pawar on Thursday, citing the request received from the Supreme Court to this effect.
NCP(SCP) had, in its original application to EC, suggested three poll symbols of their own choice; ‘Banyan Tree’, ‘Whistle’ and ‘Cup and Saucer’, in that order of preference. However, while ‘Banyan tree’ was turned down by EC as it is seen as a symbol with religious connotation, ‘Whistle’ as well as ‘Cup and Saucer’ were already allotted to other parties.
With EC approval for the first preference, all NCP(SCP) candidates can now contest on a common symbol. Based on the party’s performance in these polls, EC may later decide on recognition of NCP(SCP) as a state party. If the party’s showing fulfils the criteria laid down for recognition, ‘Man Blowing Turha’ will become a ‘reserved’ symbol, entitling NCP(SCP) to its exclusive use for all future polls in the state concerned.
