MCD Polls: Delhi HC dismisses Swaraj India's plea seeking common symbol

The Delhi High Court on Monday in its interim order dismissed the plea of Swaraj India party seeking a common symbol for the upcoming Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls.

The Yogendra Yadav-led Swaraj India will now have to contest the MCD elections without a common symbol, after the double bench dismissed it plea.

The MCD elections will be held on April 23.

Senior advocate Shanti Bhushan and advocate Prashant Bhushan, who appeared for Swaraj India, submitted before the larger bench that they had urged the Delhi poll panel and the single judge that a common symbol be allotted to registered unrecognised parties so that a level playing field is created in the elections.

Swaraj India was floated by Yadav and Bhushan, who were expelled from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) after they questioned Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's leadership.

The lawyer argued that under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) (Amendment) order, the Election Commission of India itself allows newly registered political parties to have a common symbol for all their candidates for contesting their first election.

The party has claimed that states like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, West Bengal, Kerala, Sikkim and Tripura follow the rules made by the Election Commission of India (ECI).