Q. Consider the following statements:
1.A party is recognised as a ‘national’ or ‘state’ party under the provisions of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968 (Symbols Order) by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
2.A recognised political party has a reserved symbol that is not allotted to any other candidate in any constituency.
3.If a political party is registered but not recognized, it cannot get a common symbol for elections if it contests in two Lok Sabha constituencies.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Explanation –
Statements 1 and 2 are correct. A party is recognised as a ‘national’ or ‘state’ party under the provisions of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968 (Symbols Order) by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The Election Commission of India recognizes political parties as national or state parties based on their performance in elections and their presence in various states. The Symbols Order outlines the criteria for such recognition and regulates the allotment of symbols to parties. One of the major benefits of being a recognized party (national or state) is having a reserved symbol. This means the symbol is exclusively allocated to that party, and no other candidate can use it. This provides consistency and helps voters easily identify the party.
Statement 3 is incorrect. For registered but unrecognised political parties, one of the free symbols is allotted as a common symbol during an election if that party contests in two Lok Sabha constituencies or in 5% of seats to the Assembly of a State as the case may be.
Source: The Hindu
