RANCHI: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Wednesday lodged a complaint with the Election Commission, saying that the INDIA bloc partners in Jharkhand are using the party’s symbol for campaigning.
In its complaint filed with Jharkhand chief electoral officer K Ravi Kumar, the CPM said the party is not a part of the INDIA bloc in the state and that it is independently contesting nine seats in the election to the 81-member assembly.
“The CPM is not included in the seat-sharing arrangement among the parties in the INDIA bloc in the state. We have been receiving information from all places that our election symbol —a hammer, sickle, and star— is being used by the Congress and the JMM in their campaigns without our consent,” the complaint said.
CPM state secretary Prakash Viplav said only the Congress, JMM, RJD and the CPI (ML) are officially part of the INDIA bloc in Jharkhand. “The use of the CPM’s symbol by these parties has caused significant confusion, both among voters and party candidates. Unauthorised use of the hammer and sickle symbol is creating unnecessary complications, potentially influencing voters who might associate the symbol with the INDIA alliance,” said Viplav.
The CPM urged the EC to intervene and stop to the misuse of its symbol. According to the seat-sharing deal in the INDIA bloc, the JMM has fielded its candidates on 43 Assembly seats, Congress on 30, RJD on six and the CPI (ML) on four constituencies.
There will be friendly contests among the candidates of the INDIA bloc on Dhanwar, Chatrapur and Vishrampur Assembly seats as a seat-sharing deal could not be reached for those constituencies.
The Assembly polls will be held in Jharkhand in two phases on November 13 and 20, and the counting of votes will take place on November 23.