HC to hear Swaraj India plea on common symbol on Wednesday

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday said it will hear Yogendra Yadav-led Swaraj India's plea challenging the state election commission's denial of a common symbol to it for the upcoming civic polls on Wednesday.

A division bench of Justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and V.K. Rao allowed urgent hearing of the plea and listed the matter for March 15.

The poll panel on March 7 denied the Swaraj India's request for a common symbol.

Senior Advocate and party's advocate Arvind Nigam told the court that Swaraj India is set to make its election debut in the upcoming Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections, to be held on April 22.

The lawyer told the court 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.

Swaraj India has blamed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for the denial of symbol to it citing the notification of Delhi Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order 2016 which allegedly bars candidates of new parties from having a common symbol.

--IANS

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