Context: The satirical youth pressure group, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), held its first physical protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
About The Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968:
What It Is?
- The Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, is a comprehensive legal framework that empowers the Election Commission of India (ECI) to specify, reserve, choice-allot, and regulate election symbols for political parties and independent candidates. It serves as the governing rulebook for managing the visual identities of political contestants across all legislative assemblies and parliamentary elections.
Established In: The order was officially promulgated by the Election Commission of India on August 31, 1968, under the powers vested in it via Article 324 of the Constitution of India, read alongside Rule 5 and Rule 10 of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961.
Key Features of the Order:
- Classification of Political Parties: The order splits political groups into two clear administrative tiers based on their past electoral performance: Recognized Parties and Unrecognized Parties.
- Reserved Symbols Pool: Candidates representing recognized National and State parties are automatically allotted their party’s exclusive, permanently reserved symbol. These symbols cannot be used by any other candidate across the country or state.
- The Free Symbols Roster: For unrecognized parties and independent candidates, the ECI maintains and periodically updates a dynamic list of free symbols. These include fruits, vegetables, and everyday household items like an air-conditioner, balloon, jackfruit, or TV remote.
- These symbols are distributed on a fluid, first-come-first-served application basis rather than being guaranteed.
- The Absolute Animal Prohibition: Following heavy representation from animal welfare activists regarding the extreme cruelty inflicted on live roosters during the 1989 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the ECI phased out the allotment of living creatures as symbols in the 1990s.
- Legacy Exceptions: Parties that were formally recognized and granted an animal symbol prior to the 1990s directive—most notably the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) with its elephant symbol—are legally permitted to retain their legacy icons as rare exceptions to the rule.
