SRINAGAR : After the record voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir in the recent parliamentary elections, the Election Commission of India (EC) has set in motion preparations for maiden Assembly elections in the Union Territory by deciding to accept political parties’ applications for use of common symbols for their candidates.
“The Commission has decided to accept applications seeking allotment of common symbols under Para 10B of the Election Symbols (Reservation & Allotment) Order, 1968, for the General Election to the Legislative Assembly of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir with immediate effect,” read a release issued by the Election Commission Secretary Jaydeb Lahiri.
For the party to get a common symbol, it is supposed to contest at least two Lok Sabha seats, and in the case of Assembly polls, the party has to contest at least five seats.
According to experts, the parties must propose ten symbols from EC’s open symbols. “The parties can also propose three of its symbols. These symbols should not have any religious or communal connotation. The EC can allot one symbol to the party out of the proposed 10 or 13 symbols,” they said.
Under Para 10 B of the Election Symbols (Reservation & Allotment) Order, 1968, any registered unrecognised political party can apply for a common symbol six months before the end of the term of a House.
Sources said since the dissolution of the J&K Assembly in 2018, the EC has decided to start the process now. There was a record voter turnout, with people voting fearlessly. The five LS seats recorded a voter turnout of 58.58%, the highest in the last 35 years.