NCP's Plea to EC: Prevent Symbol Confusion in Maharashtra Polls

NCP's Supriya Sule has urged the Election Commission to carefully assign distinct symbols for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections. The call follows confusion over similar symbols during the Lok Sabha elections, which allegedly affected NCP's performance. The party seeks to prevent such issues in the forthcoming polls in October.

NCP leader Supriya Sule has called on the Election Commission to exercise greater caution in the allocation of symbols for political parties and candidates in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections. This move aims to avert voter confusion and ensure fair competition in the polls.

Addressing reporters in New Delhi, Sule highlighted that a delegation from the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) had met with EC officials to air concerns surrounding the 'confusing' symbols used in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Specific symbols such as the 'trumpet' and the 'man blowing trumpet' on EVMs had reportedly caused issues for the party.

The upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections are slated for October. The controversy harkens back to last July when Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's rebellion led to the allocation of the 'man blowing trumpet' symbol to the NCP (SP) following a schism within the party. This resulted in adverse effects during the polls, as highlighted by NCP (SP) president Jayant Patil, who attributed the party's loss in Satara to the symbol confusion.

(With inputs from agencies.)