NEW DELHI: People may find symbols like helicopter, mike, camera, pressure cooker and many others while pressing button on the electronic voting machines in the upcoming Assembly polls. Dozens of registered unrecognised political parties are in fray in the poll battle in Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur.
On December 30 the Election Commission allotted symbols to 13 such parties and nine of them are contesting polls in Uttar Pradesh. Similarly, on December 24 as many as 17 unrecognised parties were allotted symbols such as ring, diamond, bench, football and others and 10 of them will be fighting the UP polls. Before that, the poll panel had provided symbols to 12 such parties and 11 out of them are battling out in UP.
Apart from national parties and recognised regional parties, maximum unrecognised political parties are contesting UP election. Some of these include Jan Pragati Party, Sarvjan Awaj Party, Kisan Raksha party, Laukik Samaj Party and others.
While symbols are reserved for national and state parties, unrecognised parties and independent candidates have to choose from the 'free symbols' to fight elections. As per a notification, there was a list of 197 available symbols.
An independent candidate or someone contesting on behalf of an unrecognised party has to approach the ECI for a symbol. As per rules, a candidate has to provide three symbols from the free list at the time of submission of nomination papers.
There are eight national parties and 54 recognised state parties. The poll panel on September 23 notified the updated list of parties that included 2,796 registered unrecognised parties. However, it has been observed that a majority of them doesn't contest polls.
Notably, only 673 parties had participated in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Moreover, there have been concerns that unrecognised parties may be collecting donations and using them for other purposes.
Who forced Ram Lalla to stay in tent, asks Shah
LUCKNOW: Playing up the Hindutva card yet again to attack the rivals, Union Home Minister Amit Shah dared the Opposition to get the construction of the upcoming Ram temple stopped if they had "guts".
At a rally after visiting Ram Janambhoomi in Ayodhya on Friday, Shah held the Opposition responsible for putting obstacles in the construction of Ram Temple "forcing the deity to be relegated to a tent".