Allotment of Election Symbols to Political Parties

About Allotment of Election Symbols to Political Parties

• Governed by: The Election Commission of India allots election symbols to political parties and candidates under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
• Legal and Administrative Framework:
  • Reserved Symbols: Recognized national and state parties are allotted reserved symbols that are exclusive to them.
  • Free Symbols: Registered unrecognized parties and independent candidates are allotted symbols from the list of free symbols.
    • The Election Commission periodically revises this list, which currently includes a wide range of objects, fruits, vegetables, household items, and equipment.
  • Restrictions on Animal Symbols: Following representations from animal welfare activists in the 1990s, the Election Commission stopped allotting animals as election symbols. 
  • Exceptions: Parties that received animal symbols before the ban continue to retain them, such as the Bahujan Samaj Party’s elephant and the All India Forward Bloc’s lion symbol in West Bengal.
  • State-Specific Availability: Some free symbols are available in certain states and Union Territories only because the same symbols may already be reserved for recognized parties elsewhere.
• Allotment Rules for Unrecognized Parties (RUPPs):
  • Common Symbol Concession: Under Rule 10B of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, registered unrecognized political parties can obtain a common symbol for two general elections.
    • Retention Criteria (2026 Amendment): A party can retain a common symbol if it secures at least 1% of valid votes in either of the last two elections, making performance in one election sufficient.
  • First-Come-First-Served Basis: Common symbols are allotted on a first-come-first-served basis among eligible parties.
  • Electoral Requirement: Registered unrecognized parties become eligible for a common symbol in subsequent elections if they secure at least 1% of votes polled in the state in the previous election.
• Resolution of Party Splits and Disputes:
  • Election Commission of India’s Authority: Under Paragraph 15 of the Symbols Order, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is the sole authority to decide disputes involving recognized political parties.
  • Basis of Decision: The Commission considers support within the party’s organisational wing and legislative wing, including MPs and MLAs.
  • Symbol and Name Allocation: The Commission may award the party name and symbol to one faction and allow the other faction to register separately.
  • Freezing of Symbol: If rival claims remain inconclusive, the Commission may freeze the symbol and require both groups to adopt new names and symbols.