CPM may benefit from EC’s revision of Symbols Order

DEC 3: The Election Commission today announced the amendment of its Election Symbols Order, 1968, to rid the rules of their ``aberrations'...

DEC 3: The Election Commission today announced the amendment of its Election Symbols Order, 1968, to rid the rules of their “aberrations”. The amendments provides the CPI(M), which was recently stripped of its national party status, with an opportunity to petition the EC for reconsidering its earlier order that had derecognised the party.

Hours after Chief Election Commissioner M.S.Gill announced the changes in the Symbols Order, the CPI(M) welcomed them saying the new criteria was “more realistic”.

Gill said that under the amended provisions, a political party will be recognised as a national party only if it secures at least six per cent of the valid votes polled in any four states in the Lok Sabha or state Assembly elections and, in addition, wins at least four Lok Sabha seats from any state or states.

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And, alternatively, a party will be recognised as a national party if it wins at least two per cent of the seats in the Lok Sabha — 11 seats in the existing 543-member House — and these members are elected from at least three different states. This criterion here will entitle the CPI(M), the biggest Opposition party in Parliament after the Congress, to get back its national party status.

Also, under the changed criteria, for a political party to be recognised as a state party, it should have at least six per cent of the valid votes polled in the state in an election either to the Lok Sabha or the Assembly. In addition to this, it has to win at least two seats in the state Assembly or at least three per cent of the total number of seats in the Assembly or at least three seats.

The CEC added that the revised criteria for recognition will not be applied to the detriment of any of the existing national and state parties, and their current status as recognised national or state parties will continue till it is modified after any future general elections to the Lok Sabha or state Assemblies.

Briefing mediapersons on the unanimous decision taken by the commission, Gill said the purpose of the notification amending the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order was to “simplify, straighten out and liberalise” the system. “Our intention is not to punish a political party but to promote democracy,” he said.

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Asked whether the CPI(M) would get back its lost status, the CEC replied: “if any party applies for it, we will deal with it.” He, however, refused to elaborate.

Another facet of the amended Order is that any party which loses its recognition will not lose its symbol immediately but will be given six years’ time to retrieve its status, irrespective of the number of elections that will be held during that period.

Gill said that 10 parties including the Lok Shakti, RPI, Haryana Vikas Party, Janata Party, Jammu and Kashmir Panthers Party and NTR-TDP (Lakshmi Parvathi), United Minorities Front, Samajwadi Janata Party and Nagaland People’s Council will benefit from this amendment.