JD(U) plans to change symbol after voter confusion

The JD (U) is mulling the option of going in for a new poll symbol due to a similarity with that of the Shiv Sena, said Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday.

The JD (U) is mulling the option of going in for a new poll symbol due to a similarity with that of the Shiv Sena, said Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday.

JD (U) (left) and Shiv Sena’s symbols confused voters.

This came to light during a performance review of the party after the recent assembly polls in the state, in which the JD (U) won 71 of the 101 seats it had contested.

“At some places, we felt our candidates lost because our voters got confused over the poll symbols of the JD (U), Shiv Sena and JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha). This confusion adversely hit our victory margins at some places,” he said.

The symbols of both the Shiv Sena and the JMM are the ‘bow and arrow’, which may have been confused by less poll-savvy voters with the JD (U)’s ‘arrow’ symbol.

The JD (U) assessment appeared to ratify a Hindustan Times report which said the JD (U)’s margin of defeat to the BJP in three assembly seats was less than the number of votes polled by the Shiv Sena candidates.

Shiv Sena’s Bihar unit chief Kaushlendra Sharma reacted to JD (U)’s claim, terming it “misleading”. “Shiv Sena fought election on its ideology of nationalism and its main issues were respect and employment to the sons of the soil. Even at places where our candidates fought on different symbol, they got respectable votes. In at least 10 seats where JD (U) did not field its candidates, Shiv Sena candidates finished third,” he added.