ALLOCATION
OF ELECTORAL SYMBOLS - POLITY
News:
Election Commission
tweaks rules for allocation of symbols to unrecognised political parties
What's
in the news?
●
With only a few weeks remaining until the
2024 Parliamentary election, the Election Commission of India has revised rules
for allocating common symbols to Registered and Unregistered Political Parties,
subject to certain conditions.
New
Rules:
●
The Election Commission of India brought
in new rules for allocation of symbols to Registered Unrecognised Political
Parties (RUPPs), making it mandatory for
them to furnish audited accounts of last three financial years, expenditure
statements of last two elections and the signature of the authorised
office-bearer of the party along with the application form for symbols.
Existing
Rules:
●
The EC receives the applications from
RUPPs in prescribed proforma for allotment of symbols under Provisions of Para 10B of the Election
Symbols (Reservation & Allotment) Order, 1968.
●
In order to ensure transparency, the EC
had in 2014 given directions that RUPPs wanting to avail the benefits of having
a common symbol have to submit the proof of having filed up-to-date
contribution reports, audited annual accounts, update of election expenditure
statements, and their latest organisation details.
Key
takeaways:
●
The new rules would come into effect from
January 11 this year.
●
In September 2022, the EC had de-listed 86
non-existent RUPPs and declared another 253 as ‘Inactive RUPPs’.
Registered
Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPPs):
●
RUPPs are either newly-registered parties
or those which have not secured enough percentage of votes in the Assembly or
general election to become a State party, or those that have never contested
elections after being registered.
●
Common symbols are provided to RUPPs based
upon an undertaking that they would put up “at least 5% of total candidates
with regard to said Legislative Assembly election of a State”.
Go
back to basics:
Election
Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968:
●
The Election Commission (EC) has plenary
powers under Article 324 of the
Constitution to decide on the allotment of symbols.
●
Election Symbols (Reservation and
Allotment) Order, 1968, empowers the EC to allot
symbols to the political parties at elections in Parliamentary and Assembly
Constituencies.
●
For the purpose of this Order symbols are
either reserved or free.
●
Reserved
symbol is a symbol which is reserved for a recognised political party for
exclusive allotment to contesting candidates set up by that party.
●
Free
symbol is a symbol other than a reserved symbol.