The Election Commission has decided that the Shiv Sena and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha would not be given the concession to use the symbol of “bow and arrow”, which is reserved for them in their respective states, for phases five to eight of the West Bengal elections.
In a letter to the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer on Thursday, the EC said since both parties had requested to use the same symbol for phase five to eight of the West Bengal Assembly elections, as per extant policy, the candidates of neither would be given the concession. Instead, they would be allotted one from a list of free symbols, it said. Being recognised state parties in Maharashtra and Jharkhand respectively, Shiv Sena and JMM have the “bow and arrow” symbol in those states.
“Since both the ‘Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’ and ‘Shivsena’ have the same reserved symbol ‘Bow & Arrow’ in their respective states, the Commission has decided not to extend the concession…,” it said.
