SP symbol feud: Here are the options before the ECI

The ECI is left with two options-either rule in favour of Akhilesh or Mulayam or freeze the symbol and tell both factions to look for a new one.

The Election Commission of India will deliver its verdict on who would get to keep the Samajwadi Party's 'cycle' symbol by January 17, the date the nomination process for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections begins. It was a hard fought battle at the Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi where the Akhilesh Yadav faction quoted numbers while his father Mulayam cited the party's constitution.

The ECI is left with two options-either rule in favour of Akhilesh or Mulayam or freeze the symbol and tell both factions to look for a new one. All through the hearing the Akhilesh faction quoted their strength in numbers. The Mulayam faction however termed the meeting in which his son was made the chief illegal.

While dealing with this case, the ECI would look into a 2012 case from Uttarakhand. The case on hand pertained to the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal. The party had split and a battle for the symbol erupted before the ECI got to decide on the matter.

In that case, the ECI had frozen the symbol, but gave interim recognition to both factions as state parties. The ECI had also allowed both factions to chose a name similar to the UKD while also directing them to chose a different symbol.

Apart from this the ECI would also look into the verdict of the Supreme Court in the Sadiq Ali vs ECI matter. In that case, the top court had said while the ECI was the final arbiter, the strength of the claimants should be the one critical parametre in adjudicating the matter.

OneIndia News