PESHAWAR: Owing to the large number of people contesting the party-less polls for the lower tier of the local bodies, the Election Commission of Pakistan has introduced symbols which candidates say are not only offensive but have also made them the butt of jokes of friends and acquaintances.

“A mullah’s son has been allotted accordion as an election symbol and he is worried that he would become the butt of jokes amongst his electorate,” a senior official associated with the allotment of symbols told Dawn.

Another candidate, who had been given radish as an election symbol in the past, complained to the official that he was still called ‘mooli’ by people.

Scores of candidates thronged the office and residence of the deputy commissioner, Peshawar, who is the returning office for the district, to complain about the symbols allotted to them. The candidates say that some of the symbols could be used by their rivals to stigmatise them which would stick to them regardless whether they win or lose the elections.

But officials say that it is impossible for them to satisfy every candidate, considering their large number — 11,000 to 12,000 — and shortage of election symbols.

Some candidates say they would prefer to quit the contest instead of accepting the election symbols that would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Scores prefer to quit poll race

A large number of candidates for the upcoming local government elections have expressed reservations over what they call allotment of derogative symbols to them.

Some of them have lost interest in contesting elections with the odd election symbol, for which there were very enthusiastic and waiting for long.

Talking to Dawn, the candidates showed reservations over allotment of shoe brush, nut, broom, trouser, baby feeder, syringe, picture of traffic constable, radish, hen, moustache, crocodile, banana, drum, blade, flute, heart and air pump etc as election symbols.

Aslam Khan, a candidate for the peasant seat from Afridi Abad, who got shoe brush as election symbol, said that he would not contest elections with the funny symbol. “The people will add my election symbol to my name forever,” he added.

He said that the voters would laugh at him during the election campaign when he would request them to put stamp on the shoe brush. Instead of tailing the shoe brush with his name, the candidate said that it would be better to avoid taking part in the elections.

Zafrullah, a candidate for general councillor seat, said that he was allotted bottle as election symbol. “People will call me bottle throughout my life and it is considered abuse in Pashto language. The word bottle is derogatory,” he added.

He said that he submitted an application with the respective returning officer to change his election symbol but in vain. “The influential candidates have got election symbols of their choice,” he alleged.

A worried woman candidate, who was allotted baby feeder, was seen requesting officials in the office of deputy commissioner to change her election symbol. “It is funny symbol,” she said. Like other candidates, she was of the view that a group of candidates in the deputy commissioner office surrounded her and started joking linked with the baby feeder.

“I belong to a respectable family and the election symbol allotted to me is shoe brush,” a white-bearded candidate said. He was determined not to contest elections if his election symbol was not changed.

Actually ECP was short of symbols for the upcoming local government elections, one of the returning officer told Dawn. The elections would be on party basis at the district and tehsil level while it would be on non-party basis at the village and neighbourhood councils. So, he said, ECP had already allotted 165 election symbols to the political parties but a large number of people were contesting elections for village and neighbourhood councils on the general, peasant, youth, women and minorities seats.

Deputy Commissioner Riaz Khan Mehsud told Dawn that he was aware of reservations of the candidates. “I wanted to award symbols to the candidates of their choice but the number of candidates was very high,” he added.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2015

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