NEWSLINKS US EDITION COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
Rival political alliances in Tamil Nadu may be in for trouble, with the Election Commission introducing a clause for registered symbols of parties to be allotted only to card-holding members of those parties.
With poll pundits predicting a hung assembly, the ruling DMK may be in for greater shock, as 24 alliance partners are expected to contest on the party's 'rising sun' symbol before the Election Commission's notification was publicised.
"This can upset our calculations to some extent," conceded a senior DMK strategist. He pointed out that a hung assembly, even if the DMK-led alliance won the polls, implied possibilities of floor-crossing and horse-trading. Such defections would have been made difficult for these categories of legislators, as they would then require at least a third of the party's strength for effecting a legitimate defection, soon after the polls, or even later.
The DMK's campaign managers are even more concerned. They pointed out, "It will be very difficult to popularise an independent symbol, at this late hour. There will also be no knowing if any ally could opt for a symbol in all constituencies it will be contesting in. While the law provides for such a course, the discretion rests with the electoral authorities, starting with the returning officer of a constituency. Even then, there will be different symbols for each ally, which would be allotted only on the last day of withdrawal of nominations. That would leave two weeks for the candidates to popularise their symbols."
MGR Kazhagam founder R M Veerappan, an ally of the DMK that has been allotted two seats in the assembly polls, has written to the Election Commission. Referring to the new clause, Veerappan sought a reserved symbol for registered parties that do not now have one under the rules.
Now, for a political party to be allotted a reserved symbol, it should either poll four per cent votes in earlier general elections, or have four legislators, or two parliamentarians from that state.
With the Election Commission having applied this rule while withdrawing national recognition for some political parties, and threatening even the Communist Party of India-Marxist with one, last year, DMK alliance sources hoped for a reversal of the new rule that would then permit the partners to contest on the 'rising sun' symbol.
Against the predicament facing the DMK, the AIADMK may be in for some relief from the Election Commission order. Retaining only 141 seats out of a total of 234 in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, having distributed the remaining 93 to its allies, the AIADMK leadership may now use the Election Commission order to deny seats to other minor partners, who were hoping to contest on the party's 'two leaves' symbol.
Party supremo Jayalalitha had announced the names of these candidates with those of the AIADMK, together. That being the case, nominees of parties like the Indian National League may have problems accepting AIADMK membership to be allotted the 'two leaves' symbol, as earlier - but then, this alone would ensure for the AIADMK, the 141 seats that it now hopes to contest, as the barest minimum.
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