HYDERABAD: In what could prove to be an electoral disaster, actor Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam Party will have to contest the ensuing elections on different symbols as it is not yet a recognised political party. While Congress, BJP, CPI, CPM, RJD, NCP and BSP are the recognised political parties at the national level, Telugu Desam Party and Telangana Rashtra Samiti are recognised as State parties in Andhra Pradesh with permanent poll symbols.
As per the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) (amendment) Order, 2005, only `recognised’ political parties are eligible for a permanent election symbol while `registered’ parties will have to choose from the 59 “free symbols” available.
The PRP wanted the `rising sun’ as its election symbol but it is unlikely to get it, at least for the next elections.
Ironically, the rising sun is not even a free symbol in the list prescribed by the Election Commission of India and the PRP will have to pick from symbols like aeroplane, almirah, axe, balloon, banana, bangles, cake, etc. Sources in the Election Commission here said that as per Rule 6A of the said order, a political party shall be eligible for recognition as a State party in a State, “if it has secured not less than six per cent of the total valid votes polled in the State and, in addition, it has returned at least two members to the Legislative Assembly and at least one member to the House of People (Lok Sabha) in a general election.” “Since Praja Rajyam is a new party, it has only been registered with the Election Commission of India. It gets recognised only if it fulfils the criteria laid down in the election rules and only then it becomes eligible for allotment of a permanent election symbol.
In the ensuing polls it will have to make do with only the free symbols,” a top EC official said.
If two or more candidates from registered political parties vie for a particular symbol, the allotment is done only through draw of lots. Besides, if any sitting MLA seeks a particular symbol in a constituency, he shall be allotted the symbol, the rules say.
As such, there is no guarantee that the PRP will get the symbol of its choice across all constituencies.
Meanwhile, PRP spokesman Parakala Prabhakar told to The New Indian Express that the choosing an election symbol arise only at the time of nominations. He denied approaching the Election Commission for rising sun symbol. He said that after filing the nominations in one-third of the Assembly seats in the State, the party would approach the Election Commission for a common symbol, he said. As of now, the question of party approaching the Election Commission for symbol does not arise, he clarified.
