The Election Commission has said the NCP (Sharad Pawar) faction's request to delete the trumpet from the list of free symbols had been declined.
Free symbols are used by Independents and parties that have not been granted state or national status in the absence of the required number of votes and seats.
After the NCP split, Sharad Pawar’s faction was given the symbol of a man blowing a turha. The turha or turi is a curved trumpet. In Marathi, both the western and Indian versions of the trumpet are called tutari.
In the Lok Sabha polls, at least four Independents using trumpet symbols in Maharashtra won a surprisingly high number of votes in seats where the NCP(SP) was contesting. This led the party to demand a freeze on the trumpet symbol, which was acceded to by Maharashtra’s State Election Commission.
At a media conference on Tuesday to declare Assembly polls in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, chief election commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said the request by the NCP(SP) was denied because “the trumpet looks completely different from the man blowing the turha”.
He said the party was allowed to specify how it wanted its poll symbol to be displayed on the ballot unit to make it more prominent.
Replying to a query on the Congress’s demand to remove Maharashtra director-general of police (DGP) Rashmi Shukla, the CEC said: “The DGP’s appointment in any state is governed by the procedure where the senior-most officers’ names are sent to the UPSC. The UPSC selects the person and there is a decision by the honourable Supreme Court in Prakash Singh’s case. The entire issue on this will be handled in accordance with the legal pronouncements governing the subject. This name has been cleared by the UPSC but this case will be handled exactly according to the Supreme Court’s order.”
He questioned the credibility of exit polls and channels that broadcast results even before the start of counting.
“Due to an expectation set by the exit polls, a very big distortion has been created. This should lead to introspection in the media, especially the electronic media…. What is the sample size, where did the surveys take place, how was the result obtained, if the actual result varies then who is responsible, are there any disclosures?” Kumar said.
“The NBSA (News Broadcasting Standards Authority) and other bodies self-regulate and I am sure the time has come to do some self-regulation…. When counting starts, results start coming (on TV) by 8.05am or 8.10am. This is nonsense. The first counting starts at 8.30am (after preliminary procedures, which begin at 8am).
“Are these trends put out to justify the exit polls? The first results don’t come before 10 minutes to 9am… This can lead to serious issues sometimes as the gap between expectation and achievement is nothing but frustration,” he added.
On the Congress’s complaint that many EVMs showed 99 per cent charge during counting in 20 Assembly seats in Haryana, the CEC said that individual replies would be sent to all 20 candidates who had complained.
“It is a single-use battery used for five to seven days.... When the output is between 7.4V to 8V, it is considered to be in perfect condition… 99 per cent charge. When the voltage falls below 7.4V it shows the actual (level of charge) condition. When it falls to 5.8V, it gives a signal that it needs to be changed,” he said.
He said the details would be included in the Frequently Asked Questions on the EC’s website.
Kumar reiterated that party agents are present during the first level checking of EVMs — which takes place almost six months before polls — to the counting and the entire process is videographed.
“They also sign on the battery…. Is there any process in India that has this much public disclosure? It can’t be that it’s wrong only if the result of your choice doesn’t come,” Kumar said.
