Context

The political parties have headed into election mode across the country and all candidates who are in the fray have their own symbols besides the symbol of their respective parties.

What is election symbol?

• An electoral or election symbolis a standardized symbol allocated to a political party.
• Types of Election Symbol: As per the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) (Amendment) Order, 2017,party symbols are either “reserved” or “free”.
  • Reserved:Eight national parties and 64 state parties across the country have “reserved” symbols
  • Free:ECI has a pool of nearly 200 “free” symbols. These symbols are allotted to the thousands of unrecognized regional parties in the country.
• They are used by the parties during their campaigning and are shown on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs),where the voter chooses the symbol and votes for the associated party.
• The symbol of a party is one of extreme relevanceto political survival.
• For many Indian voters who do not read, the symbol is their association with the party when they exercise their franchise. Hence, importance is given to the symbol of the party.

Election Commission’s powers:

• The Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968empowers the EC to recognize political parties and allot symbols.
• EC can decidedisputes among rival groups or sections of a recognized political party staking claim to its name and symbol.
• The EC is the only authority to decide issueson a dispute or a merger under the order.
• This applies to disputes in recognized national and state parties. However, if any of the parties is not satisfied then they can approach the courts.