Weird and Weirder: Election Symbols on Offer

There’s a reason why items like a frock and an iron box have made it to the EC list. They aren’t offensive.

Among the 59 symbols released by the Election Commission (EC) for this election were a batsman, a frock, a shuttlecock, a fork, and a doli (as in ‘doli saja ke rakhna’). The EC doesn’t create symbols; it only approves and standardises them. The list is offered to unregistered parties and Independents late to file nominations. “These were created a long time ago,” says KF Wilfred, EC secretary. “They were done by someone who knew drawing.”

While the exact source of these symbols is unknown, Wilfred says the list is the result of over a thousand candidates filing papers during a 1989 Tamil Nadu election. Over a thousand symbols were created. “We’ve trimmed that list to make it relevant,” Wilfred says. Similar symbols were eliminated. “If one guy wanted one glass, another wanted two glasses. If one wanted a mango for his Mango Party, another wanted an apple because it confused voters. There was also a cycle and a motorcycle.”

The EC now has a list of approximately 200. (Choice is rather limited. This could lead to interesting combinations, such as an alliance between the frying pan, gas stove and gas cylinder).

The EC follows a strict guideline. It has taken care not to offend the fragile Indian sensibility. How can anyone be annoyed by a comb or road roller? “A symbol should not have religious connotations,” says Wilfred. “It should not depict violence.” The panel also seeks to protect what the symbol represents. That is why you seldom see animals or birds as symbols. The EC decided this in 1990 after petitioners complained that parties were using dead (and, in some cases, live) parrots and doves on a string during their campaigns. “Nearly everybody with an animal symbol agreed to use a new one, but you still see the elephant and the lion around,” says Wilfred.

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Rahul Bhatia