AMN
The Delhi High Court today rejected Yogendra Yadav-led Swaraj India’s plea for allotting a common symbol to its candidates in the upcoming municipal elections in the national capital.
A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Chander Shekhar said, allotting them a common symbol for the MCD elections would tantamount to disturbing the ongoing election process. The bench said, the interim order is tentative and would not be considered as final opinion.
It said, the matter required consideration whether the registered and unrecognised party should be given a common symbol or not.
The court listed the matter for further hearing on the pending writ petition on 18th July.
MCD elections will be held on 23rd of this month.
The court’s order came on a plea by Swaraj India against the verdict of a single judge bench of the court in the case. The single judge’s verdict had come on the party’s plea challenging the Delhi State Election Commission’s decision not to allot a common symbol.
The poll panel had said, the nominees of such parties would be treated as independent candidates. It had told the court that they did not have the power to allot symbols to unrecognised but registered political parties. It said, the power was vested with the Election Commission of India.
The bench also upheld its single-judge order which had found merit in the stand of the Delhi state election commission that Electronic Voting Machines would carry photographs of candidates and the party would not have any disadvantage without a common symbol