Jayant Patil claimed that the ECI purposely assigned similar emblems to independent candidates in order to split votes in Lok Sabha Elections 2024.
Jayant Patil/ X
Jayant Patil, the Maharashtra NCP (SP) chairman, said that the similarity between his party's election emblem and that of an independent candidate confused voters, resulting in the NCP (SP) candidate's defeat in the Satara Lok Sabha constituency.
Patil, speaking to the media on Wednesday, claimed that the Election Commission of India (ECI) purposely assigned similar emblems to independent candidates in order to split votes. He added that his party would bring up this issue with the ECI, reported PTI.
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Following a split in Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party, the ECI allocated the poll symbol "man blowing turha" (a traditional trumpet) to the NCP (SP). On Tuesday, Udayanraje Bhonsle of the BJP defeated NCP (SP) candidate Shashikant Shinde by more than 32,000 votes in the Satara Lok Sabha seat. Independent candidate Sanjay Gade, who used the poll symbol "tutari" (trumpet), garnered 37,062 votes.
Patil pointed out that the NCP (SP) had earlier lodged a complaint with the ECI against a similar sign provided to an independent candidate in Baramati, their stronghold.
In the Marathi list of Satara candidates, the independent candidate's symbol was "tutari," whereas in the English list, it was "trumpet." The NCP (SP) candidate's symbol was characterised as "tutari wajnavar manoos" in Marathi and "man blowing turha" in English.
"Our symbol was 'man blowing tutari' but at the same time, the trumpet symbol was also given to independent candidates and it was called 'tutari' in the list. As a result, in all the constituencies where the NCP (SP) contested, a considerable number of votes went to candidates having the trumpet symbol," Patil claimed.
He pointed out that in constituencies like Dindori, Madha, and Beed, independent candidates with the trumpet symbol received substantial votes—over 1 lakh, 48,000, and 54,000 votes respectively—impacting the NCP (SP)'s performance in Lok Sabha Elections 2024.
"In Dindori, the candidate having the trumpet symbol received more than 1 lakh votes. In Satara, our candidate got defeated by 32,000 votes and at the same time, the candidate with the trumpet symbol polled more than 37,000 votes," he said.
Patil emphasised that this confusion was evident in Satara, where the NCP (SP) candidate lost by 32,000 votes while the independent candidate with the trumpet symbol garnered more than 37,000 votes.
"The similarity in the symbol name created confusion among voters. We had taken objection before the elections and raised the issue with the ECI, but it paid no heed. It seems this symbol was allotted deliberately for the division of votes," Patil alleged. He concluded by stating that the party would present their case to the ECI on this matter.
Baramati Battle: Supriya Sule wins Lok Sabha Elections 2024 from constituency
Nationalist Congress Party (SP) candidate Supriya Sule retained her Baramati seat in Lok Sabha Elections 2024 by more than 1.5 lakh votes, defeating her sister-in-law Sunetra Pawar in a highly-watched contest. Ajit Pawar, who split the party last year, is known for his strong following in Baramati, making Sule's victory significant.
"I am thankful to the people of Baramati. After this victory, our collective responsibilities have increased. Let bygones be bygones. What happened during the Lok Sabha elections 2024 did not reflect well on Maharashtra's politics and should be avoided in the upcoming state elections," Sule said.
"It was everyone's responsibility to uphold the 'aan, baan, shaan' (honour, pride, and prestige) and culture of Maharashtra during elections," she added, expressing commitment to maintaining this tradition in future elections.
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