Maharashtra polls: NCP (SP) hopes to win battle of symbols

To avoid a repeat of the Lok Sabha (LS) elections wherein the resemblance the symbols of numerous independent candidates bore to the symbol of the Nationalist Congress Party/NCP (SP) resulted in serious setbacks, senior leaders of the party have since instructed party workers to consistently refer to their symbol as ‘Tutari vajavnara manus’ or ‘Man blowing trumpet’.

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, while addressing voters in Baramati this week, emphasised, “Remember what happened in the Lok Sabha, especially in Satara and Dindori. This time, keep in mind—our symbol is ‘Tutari vajavnara manus’.”

State president Jayant Patil also cautioned party workers. “The opposition will try to confuse voters. Stay firm—our symbol is ‘Tutari vajavnara manus’,” he said.

The NCP (SP) candidate from Khadakwasla noted, “Though the Election Commission of India (ECI) has renamed the free ‘trumpet’ symbol, we are ensuring that voters recognise our symbol clearly.”

Ashwini Kadam, the party’s candidate from Parvati, said, “We are distributing pamphlets to highlight our symbol as ‘Man blowing trumpet’.”

Akin to the LS polls wherein numerous independent candidates had the ‘trumpet’ symbol resembling the NCP (SP)’s official election symbol of ‘Man blowing trumpet’, the November 20 state assembly polls too have independent candidates with the ‘trumpet’ as their symbol in almost all the 52 assembly seats the NCP (SP) is contesting.

Earlier, the ‘trumpet’ symbol in the ‘free symbols’ list’ was translated as ‘tutari’ in Marathi causing confusion among voters and consequently, significant vote diversion and electoral setbacks.

Last week, the chief electoral officer of Maharashtra instructed that the ‘trumpet’ symbol in the ‘free symbols’ list’ would retain its English name everywhere instead of being translated into ‘tutari’ whereas the NCP (SP)’s symbol, ‘Man blowing trumpet” would remain “Tutari vajavnara manus’ in Marathi to avoid such confusion among voters over similar symbols and names.

“We demanded that the term ‘tutari’ be removed from the ‘free symbols’ list’. Though it is a partial solution, I appreciate the election office’s decision. We demonstrated with data how phonetic similarities impacted our results in the Lok Sabha polls,” NCP (SP) working president and MP Supriya Sule said after the ECI verdict.