The Election Commission has decided to facilitate allotment of a common symbol to registered unrecognised parties that contest a general election from a minimum of 10 per cent of seats in a state (Lok Sabha or Legislative Assembly) six months in advance.
The new provisions will come into force from July 15, 2013.
In a statement, the Election Commission said that as per earlier provisions, the allotment of common symbol to registered unrecognised parties was made close to the date of notification of election, and now under the amended provisions, a party can submit application seeking a common symbol any time from the date six months prior to the date of expiry of the term of the house concerned.
In the event of premature dissolution of a House, the application for common symbol can be submitted from the date of dissolution of the house, the commission said.
It said that the allotment of a symbol will be made as and when the application, complete in all respects, is received, and will be on 'first-come-first-served' basis.
The Election Commission said that if applications of two parties are received on the same day, and both ask for the same symbol, the matter will be decided by draw of lots between such parties.
However, it added that in such cases, if one of the parties has a sitting MP or MLA elected on the same symbol, it will get preference over the other party(ies) for allotment of the symbol.
At the time of making the application, the party has to give an undertaking that it will contest from a minimum of 10 per cent of the constituencies in the State. In states with 40 seats or less in the assembly, the party has to contest from a minimum of five seats.
In the case of a Lok Sabha election, or states with less than 20 Lok Sabha seats, the party has to contest from a minimum of two seats. The party is required to submit the list of constituencies where it is going to contest, the commission said.
If a party is submitting an application before the period of three months prior to the date of expiry of the house, or within one month of dissolution a house, the party has the option of even proposing the symbols that may be allotted to it.
In such case, the party has to seek the Election Commission's approval for the design and drawing of the symbol it is proposing which should not have any resemblance to a reserved or free symbol, or any religious or communal connotation or depict any bird or animal. In other cases, the choice of symbol has to be from the notified list of free symbols only.
The facility of allotment of common symbol is a one-time facility for all parties. It would be for the parties to decide at which election it wants to avail of the facility.
