SC rejects BRS plea to instruct ECI not to allow 'car-like' poll symbols

The Supreme Court (SC) has refused to entertain a petition filed by Telangana's Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) seeking direction to the Election Commission of India (ECI) not to issue poll symbols resembling its party symbol "car" for the upcoming Assembly election in Telangana, an ANI report said. Currently, BRS has its government in Telangana under the leadership of CM K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR).

A bench of justices Abhay S Oka and Pankaj Mithal refused to entertain petitions filed by the BRS party.

BRS's petition was not to allot election symbols similar to the "car symbol" including road roller and other symbols resembling its party symbol. The court remarked that voters are intelligent enough to differentiate between car and road roller.

BRS also submitted that an election symbol like a road roller would create confusion with its party symbol, "car" but the argument could not convince the top court and the apex court questioned the BRS party for filing such a plea, which could lead to postponing the upcoming election. Earlier, the Delhi High Court has also refused to entertain the petition filed by BRS.

The petitioner submitted that when voters go to EVMs, symbols like road roller, chapatti maker, and camera appear similar to the BRS party symbol car and sometimes their party members may lose votes.

In a press conference on October 9, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India announced the election schedule for the five poll-bound states. Elections will be held in Telangana on November 30.

The counting of votes will take place on December 3 for all five states- Mizoram on November 7, Chhattisgarh on November 7 and November 17, Madhya Pradesh on November 17, Rajasthan on November 25.

In the previous Assembly election held in 2018, BRS managed to win 88 seats out of 119 and had a dominant vote share of 47.4 per cent. Congress came at a distant second with 19 seats. Its vote share was 28.

(With agency inputs)