The Telangana Rashtra Samiti has initiated the process for change of its name as Bharata Rashtra Samiti for a pan India identity, retaining car as its symbol with the Election Commission of India. However, the party has locked horns with the top election body over the free symbols issue; it feels that there are several look-alike symbols in the free symbols allotted by the EC that reportedly affected its vote share at least to some extent in the elections conducted in the past.
The developments in the State ahead of the high voltage byelection to Munugode Assembly segment is turning out to be another opportunity for the TRS leadership to score political points over the rival BJP. The replacement of the returning officer of the constituency, Jagannatha Rao, by the Commission has given ample opportunity to the TRS leadership to reiterate its claim that the BJP leadership is diluting the spirit of the constitutional institutions like the Election Commission by having a say in their affairs.
The replacement of the official, TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao alleged, proved yet again that the EC was working under the control of the BJP. “This is the latest example of how the BJP is misusing the constitutional bodies to serve its interests. The pressure on the EC, which is supposed to act beyond parties and in a democratic manner, from the BJP is visible,” he said, reacting to the replacement of the returning officer. Reintroducing the Road Roller symbol that was suspended in 2011 was nothing but ridiculing democracy in his view.
The EC has replaced the officer after taking a serious view of the manner in which he had changed the free symbol allotted to the independent candidate K. Shiva Kumar without intimating the latter in advance or consulting the special observer nominated to oversee the poll process.
The Commission, in its letter to the Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj, said it had gone through all the papers placed on the record and considered the cases. Explaining the circumstances, the EC said: “From plain reading of the provisions, it is clear under Rule 10(5) of Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, only the Election Commission and not the RO is empowered to revise the allotment order, if the same is inconsistent with any direction issued by the Elections Commission”.
The development comes in the light of representation submitted by the TRS to the EC, seeking suspension of look-alike symbols like road roller, camera, chapatti roller, television, ship, sewing machine, and soap dish as these looked like the car symbol on electronic voting machines. These symbols were affecting the parties’ prospects as uneducated voters could not see the difference and were casting votes against the other symbols believing that it was the car symbol.
The party approached the High Court too on the issue recently but the court last Tuesday dismissed the petition, saying it cannot interfere in the matter as the EC had set the byelection process in motion.
TRS senior leader and former MP B. Vinod Kumar who submitted the representation to the EC on suspension of symbols recalled how the party’s candidate Manda Jagannatham lost the election in the Nagarkurnool Lok Sabha constituency in 2014. “Manda Jagannatham lost the election as over 50,000 votes went to an independent who was allotted an auto symbol that resembled the car on the EVM. Similarly, other symbols resembling the TRS are also cutting into our votes,” he lamented.
This was not an isolated case. The TRS submitted details to the EC on how candidates who were allotted symbols like road roller, television and camera got more votes than those nominated by the recognised political parties. For instance, candidate with road roller symbol secured 3,569 votes against the 743 polled by the BSP candidate in Munugode where byelection is being held. Similarly, the candidate who was allotted the camera symbol polled more than 9,000 votes while the BJP and BSP could manage around 1,500 votes.
The byelection to the Munugode seat, vacated by Congress incumbent Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy, has no major consequences in the State’s political landscape but has become an interesting one as the three principal contenders see it as prestige. The reappearance of the road roller symbol has obviously given jitters to the TRS leadership, which claims that the look-alike symbol in the current election which is expected to be a close call between the principal contenders could mar its prospects. Given the repeated representations made by the TRS expressing concern over the impact of free symbols on its candidates, it is time the EC took a serious view of the issue and resolve it once and for all. It is especially important in view of the fact that the elections to Telangana Assembly are due in around 14 months, if they are held as per schedule.
rajeev.madabhushi@thehindu.co.in
