Jaipur, August 25: Rajasthan’s upcoming municipal and panchayat elections are generating buzz due to their unique election symbols. In an era dominated by smartphones and social media, independent candidates will be represented by traditional symbols such as charpoys, tea kettles, tongs, grinding stones, slates, and old telephones.
The State Election Commission has released a list of symbols for the municipal and panchayat elections. Notably absent are modern devices like smartphones, laptops, tablets, and scooters. Instead, the symbols reflect items that were once common in every household.
Among the 40 free symbols available for independent candidates are slates, pencils, letter boxes, tea kettles, tongs, mortar and pestle, traditional irons, sticks, and mason’s tools.
For independent candidates vying for ward member positions, the list includes symbols like charpoys, hand-operated grinding stones, sewing machines, old telephones, chains, saws, and boxes.
The list also features symbols related to kitchens and vegetable markets, including cauliflower, grapes, green chilies, hand carts, bricks, fountains, bicycle pumps, and sailboats. While these symbols may evoke nostalgia, their purpose remains the same: to ensure easy identification of candidates on the ballot.
Recognized political parties will retain their traditional symbols. The BJP will continue with the lotus, Congress with the hand, BSP with the elephant, CPI(M) with the hammer-sickle-star, AAP with the broom, and the National People’s Party with the book symbol.
Among Rajasthan’s recognized regional parties, the National Democratic Party (RLP) will use a bottle as its symbol, while the Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) will have a bow and arrow.
In this local election, voters in Rajasthan will identify their candidates not through smartphones or laptops, but through familiar household symbols like charpoys, kettles, tongs, slates, and grinding stones.
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