Candidates opt from mundane symbols to the unusual ones
ruits and vegetables, household items, kitchen utensils, computers, air-conditioners, refrigerators, televisions, and CCTV cameras ... These are some of the election symbols chosen by candidates in the two-phase Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka.
While pressure cooker, pot, glass tumbler, mixer, and gas cylinder are the popular choices, torch, coconut farm, autorickshaw, diesel pump, bat, TV remote, dish antenna, and baby walker are some of the unusual symbols. A basket containing fruits, a plate containing food, robot, footwear, triangle, ute, water tank, helmet, phone charger, road roller, doorbell, handcart, stumps, throwing a javelin, and rubber stamp are the novel entries this time.
These symbols are for Independent candidates and those from registered political parties that are not recognised as national or State parties.
FCandidates in the fray
In all, 247 candidates, including 21 women, were in the fray in the 14 constituencies that went to the polls on April 26 in Karnataka. A total of 118 Independents and 88 from registered unrecognised political parties (RUPP) were in the fray. As many as 12 candidates were from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and one from the CPI(M).
For the May 7 polls, in all 227 candidates are contesting, including 21 women. Apart from 117 Independents and 73 RUPP candidates, nine are from the BSP.
A senior ocial from the Election Commission said that the common symbols allotted to candidates of unrecognised political parties are not allotted to any other candidate. However, the symbol will be available for allotment as a free symbol to other Independent candidates in the constituencies where these parties do not nominate candidates.
Namesakes back
Every election there are some candidates whose namesakes contest to confuse voters. This time, in Bengaluru Rural, two sets of candidates with similar names were in the fray. While cardiologist C.N. Manjunath contested on the BJP ticket, another C.N. Manjunatha from the Bahujan Bharat Party was in the fray with ‘ganna kissan’ (sugarcane farmer) as the party symbol.
Likewise, two persons with names similar to Congress candidate D.K. Suresh contested in Bengaluru Rural. They were Suresh S. from the Karunadu Party with batsman as his symbol and Suresh M.N. with gas cylinder as his symbol.
Shobha Karandlaje in Bengaluru North also had a namesake contesting as an Independent with the almirah symbol.
In Hassan, Prajwal Revanna contested against H.D. Revanna (namesake of his father) from Purvanchal Mahapanchayat with batsman as symbol. The same person also contested in Mandya where the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy is the JD(S)–BJP alliance candidate.
In Shivamogga, former BJP Minister K.S. Eshwarappa who is contesting as an Independent with ‘ganna kissan’ as symbol has his namesake D.S. Eshwarappa, another Independent, with ring as symbol, in the fray.