Telangana Jana Samithi stripped of 'Matchbox' symbol

Hyderabad: The State Election Commission has removed the 'Match Box' symbol given to the Telangana Jana Samithi Party from the list of common symbols as it failed to contest on 10 per cent of the seats in the Municipal elections held during January this year. The party has to wait till 2025 to get a common symbol.

According to the office of the SEC, the Commission has scrapped symbols of six other political parties along with Telangana Jana Samithi of Prof M Kodandaram. The other parties for which the common symbol was removed were Jana Shankhaaraavam Party (Bat), Telangana Jana Samithi (Match Box), BC United Front (Battery Torch), Mana Telangana Rashtra Samaikya Party (Whistle), Praja Sena Party (Cup and Saucer), Samajwadi Forward Bloc Party (Scissors), Yuva Telangana Party (Gas Cylinder).

The SEC officials said that after allotment of common symbol, if the party fails to contest in 10 per cent of total seats in any subsequent ordinary elections, the party will lose its common symbol for further elections and also cannot apply afresh till the completion of five years period from the date of allotment of common symbol and forfeit the deposit amount of Rs 10,000.

The candidates set up by a registered political party without a reserved symbol at the ordinary election to the MPTCs / ZPTCs or Ward Members of Municipal bodies, may be allotted a common symbol from the list of free symbols for a period of five years from the date of allotment of the symbol, subject to the fulfilment of the following conditions, namely –a registered political party fields candidates at least in 10 per cent of the total number of Urban Local Bodies or Rural Local Bodies in ordinary elections as the case may be, in the State The SCE issued orders on October 12 declaring that the above political parties have lost the common symbols allotted to them and forfeited the deposit amount and ineligible to apply afresh for a common symbol for remaining period of five years ending with January 7, 2025, by the TSEC.