The Delhi High Court recently ruled on a petition filed by the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), an unrecognised political party, challenging the Election Commission’s allocation of free symbols to parties on a first-come, first-served basis. The court, headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora, dismissed the petition, stating that the allocation policy was neither arbitrary nor unconstitutional.The petitioner objected to the allotment of the free symbol ‘ganna kisan’ (sugarcane farmer) to another political party in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. NTK argued that all applications submitted within the designated timeframe for free symbol allocation should be considered equally by the Election Commission. They contended that, as a party that had participated in six elections since 2019 under the ‘ganna kisan’ symbol, they should be entitled to its allocation.
However, the court upheld the Election Commission’s decision, emphasizing the importance of preserving the integrity of the process for allocating free symbols. The bench ruled that granting the petitioner’s request would undermine the very essence of providing free symbols to unrecognised political parties, as it would deprive them of their rights and benefits.
In its order, the court highlighted the fundamental principle of free symbol allocation and its significance in promoting democratic participation among unrecognised political entities. By rejecting the petition, the court affirmed the Election Commission’s authority to administer the allocation process in a fair and impartial manner, in accordance with established norms and procedures.