HYDERABAD: As many as five political parties including Tollywood star Pawan Kalyan's Janasena Party have lost their common symbols.
The parties cannot have the common symbols for further elections and also cannot apply afresh, till the completion of five years from the date of allotment of their original common symbol. They will have to forfeit the deposit amount as well.
An order to this effect was issued by the Telangana State Election Commission (TSEC) on Friday.
In the GHMC polls held in December last year, the Janasena Party did not field any candidate as it failed to fulfil the conditions.
The parties who lost their symbols include the Janasena Party (glass tumbler), Indian Praja Party (whistle), Marxist Community Party of India United (gas cylinder), Hindustan Janata Party (coconut farm) and India Praja Bandu Party (trumpet).
The parties lost their symbols as they failed to contest at least 10 percent of the total seats in any subsequent ordinary elections.
The Janasena Party in a letter addressed to the TSEC has stated that due to alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, their party had to withdraw from the contest to avoid a split and now it has decided to contest for the Khammam and Warangal Municipal Corporations. It requested the TSEC to continue to allot the common symbol 'glass tumbler' to the party in the ensuing elections to Khammam and Warangal municipal corporations and other municipality elections also.
However, the TSEC considered the representation given by the Janasena Party and did not find it satisfactory as the grounds urged above are in violation of the provisions of the symbol order, 2018. It declared that the party has lost the common symbol 'glass tumbler' allotted to the party and forfeited the deposit amount and is ineligible to apply afresh for a common symbol for a period of five years ending with November 18, 2025 for failing to set up 10 percent candidates in ordinary elections to the GHMC held in November/December 2020.