Home About Chat Users Issues Party Candidates Polling Firms Media News Polls Calendar Key Races United States President Senate House Governors International

New User Account
"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource." 
Email: Password:

  Bicycle Thieves: In India, Parties Fight Over Political Symbols
NEWS DETAILS
Parent(s) Container 
ContributorJason 
Last EditedJason  Apr 11, 2012 07:57pm
Logged 0
CategoryGeneral
MediaNewspaper - Wall Street Journal
News DateThursday, March 29, 2012 01:00:00 AM UTC0:0
DescriptionNEW DELHI—When voters turn out for municipal polls in the Indian capital next month, they may be confronted with a bewildering gallery of household items: possibly a cauliflower, nail clippers, a TV antenna and a calculator.

Ever since independent India's first elections began in 1951, when less than one in five Indians could read, political parties have selected easy-to-identify symbols based on everyday items to appear next to candidates' names at the ballot box.

That was simple enough when the political landscape was dominated by a few major parties with fixed symbols—a tree or a lamp—much as the elephant and the donkey have symbolized U.S. politics for more than a century.

But as the number of registered political parties in India has skyrocketed from fewer than 550 a decade ago to approaching 1,400 today—and as regional parties bid for national prominence—the government has had to constantly expand its list of approved symbols. In addition to about 40 permanently set aside for national and state parties, there are now 87 "free symbols" for candidates from smaller parties to choose from.

The list was once largely composed of items easily recognizable to farmers since most Indians work the land. But recently symbols like the air conditioner, calculator, TV antenna and telephone have joined items such as the hurricane lamp and the coconut.
Share
ArticleRead Full Article

NEWS
Date Category Headline Article Contributor

DISCUSSION