Every election season ushers in many ‘newborn’ registered unrecognised political parties (RUPP), who compete with major national parties to find political ground. This time, 685 candidates from over 75 such parties are in the fray in Karnataka.
The RUPP candidates are contesting against candidates from five major national political parties - BJP, Congress, AAP, BSP, CPI(M), one regional party JD(S) and other State parties such as JD(U) and National People’s Party (NPP).
Although the Election Commission is yet to issue a gazette notification on the total list of contesting candidates, officials said overall the number of parties in the fray for the 2023 Assembly elections is around 85. This includes mining baron Janardhana Reddy’s ‘Kalyana Karnataka Pragathi Party’ (KKPP), which is making more noise in Kalyana Karnataka region. This party has been allotted a symbol of football.
In the 2018 Assembly polls, 83 parties including 70 RUPPs had fielded their candidates. While around 20 new RUPPs emerged in the State since 2018, the Election Commission of India (ECI) declared nine RUPPs as inactive in the State. In March, the ECI approved applications of six new RUPPs seeking concession in the allotment of common symbols to its candidates who would be fielded in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly polls.
ECI letter
The ECI wrote to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) for Karnataka on March 25 that these parties - Bharatiya Praja Aikyata Party, Karnataka Rashtra Samithi, Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party, Surya Janaseva Party, Jana Spandana Party and Hindustan Janata Party Secular - can be allotted a common symbol from the list of free symbols if they candidates in at least 10% of the 224 constituencies. This is apart from fulfilling other required conditions listed under the “The Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.”
Accordingly, the above mentioned parties have been allotted symbols - gas cylinder, battery torch, television, nagrik (citizens), sewing machine and helicopter - respectively.
A senior official said that the common symbols allotted to the candidates of these parties are not allotted to any other candidates. However, the said symbol will be available for allotment as a free symbol to other independent candidates in the constituencies where these parties do not set up candidates.
Previous elections
From 31 parties that fielded candidates in 2008, the number rose to 59 in 2013 Assembly elections. This included six national parties, one State party and six parties from other States.
In 2013, B.S. Yediyurappa and B. Sriramulu, who formed the Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) and Badavara Shramikara Raithara (BSR) Congress, respectively, fought the elections with their separate outfits. However, these parties were later merged with the BJP.
In the first general election for the then Mysore Assembly held in 1952 had a total of six parties contesting. Since then till 1985 - in seven assembly elections - the number of contesting parties did not cross double digits. It was only after the nineties that the number of parties gradually increased.
A total of 20 parties in 1989, 22 each in 1994 and 1999, 32 in 2004, 31 in 2008 and 59 in 2013, including national, regional, state, out-of-state and registered parties, have contested the elections, according to ECI data.
