HYDERABAD: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday shunted out K Jagannatha Rao, returning officer (RO) of Munugode Assembly bypoll, for replacing the ‘roadroller’ symbol of Yuga Thulasi Party (YTP) candidate with ‘baby walker’. Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) working president KT Rama Rao, however, alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was misusing the ECI. TRS wanted the ECI to remove the road roller symbol, as it is similar to the car symbol of TRS.
The ECI posted Miryalaguda Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) Rohith Singh as the new returning officer. Earlier, Jagannatha Rao had allotted the ‘roadroller’ symbol to YTP candidate K Shiva Kumar and changed it to ‘baby walker’ on Wednesday. Shiva Kumar lodged a complaint with the ECI, which took cognisance of the matter, and issued shunting orders.
“On October 17, the RO allotted a free symbol (roadroller) to Shiva Kumar, a registered unrecognised political party (RUPP) candidate, in the presence of the general observer. After completion of the process of allotment of the symbol, the RO changed the free symbol and allotted a new free symbol (baby walker) to Shiva Kumar. Neither did the RO give any notice to the candidate nor did he intimate about the change in advance,” ECI undersecretary Sanjay Kumar said in a communique to Telangana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Vikas Raj.
Poll body: Only EC can revise allotment order
The ECI added that only the Election Commissioner and not the RO was empowered to revise the allotment order if the same was inconsistent with any direction issued by the ECI. “Changing the road roller symbol and allotting a new symbol by invoking the provisions of Rule 10 (5) of Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, is void ab initio since it’s bad in law and facts. The EC also noted that the RO did not give any opportunity of hearing in the form of notice or otherwise to the candidate before changing the original symbol, which is against the principle of natural justice,” the EC said and directed the election officials to allot the symbol road roller to Shiva Kumar. The EC also sought an explanation from Jagannatha Rao over the move to change the symbol.
Objectionable move: KTR
Reacting to the EC’s decision to reallot the road roller symbol to Shiva Kumar, TRS working president KT Rama Rao criticised the poll body stating that the way that the RO was transferred was objectionable. Condemning the action, he said the RO acted as per the guidelines. This was an example of how the BJP was misusing constitutional bodies, Rama Rao said. It is evident that the EC was working under the pressure from the BJP, he alleged.
He recalled that the EC removed the road roller symbol from the free list in 2011. Including the suspended symbol in the free list was nothing but ridiculing the democratic process, he said. The BJP was trying to confuse the voters through free symbols, which were identical to the car symbol, Rama Rao alleged, adding that it was against the spirit of conducting the polls in a free and fair manner.