HC rejects VBA’s plea to retain gas cylinder symbol in local body polls

The petitioner further submitted that placing the “Gas Cylinder” symbol in the free symbol list or allowing the Returning Officers to allot it at their level will mislead voters and destroy VBA’s electoral identity

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has rejected a petition by the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA) seeking to retain its “gas cylinder” symbol for the upcoming local body elections in the state.

(Shutterstock)

The VBA had written to the State Election Commission (SEC) on May 26, asking that the symbol be reserved for the party. However, on October 16, the SEC replied that the Returning Officer (RO) would decide symbol allotment during the actual election process. Calling this response “arbitrary and evasive”, the VBA approached the high court on November 13 through senior advocate Prakash Ambedkar assisted by advocates Sandesh more and Hitendra Gandhi.

After failing to secure the symbol as a representation of the party, the VBA argued that it had contested major elections since 2019 and built substantial public support in both Lok Sabha and state assembly polls.

The VBA’s petition read, “The symbol was already allotted to it (VBA) by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in 2019 and in 2024. Over the years, the symbol has become exclusively identified with VBA among the electorate of Maharashtra. It constitutes the VBA’s political identity among voters.”

The petitioner further submitted that placing the “Gas Cylinder” symbol in the free symbol list or allowing the Returning Officers to allot it at their level will mislead voters and destroy VBA’s electoral identity. Therefore, it said, continuity and proper reservation of this election symbol is essential for maintaining the integrity of the electoral process.

The petition warned that placing the symbol on the free-symbol list–allowing ROs to allot it to any candidate–could confuse voters and weaken VBA’s identity. It also claimed that the SEC’s refusal violated its right to symbol continuity under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968. Adding that no local body elections have been held in Maharashtra since 2017, VBA said it had no legal opportunity to comply with the EC’s participation requirements which would then earn it a permanent symbol.

The upcoming elections will be held across 246 municipal councils (Nagar Parishads) and 42 municipal panchayats (Nagar Panchayats) in the state. According to the SEC’s October 25 announcement, nominations opened on November 10 and will continue until November 17.

The scrutiny of nominations, a process where the EC verifies the documents submitted by contestants, is scheduled for November 18. Candidates may withdraw their candidature until November 21 (where no appeal is filed) or November 25 (where appeals are pending). The final list of contestants will be published on November 26, and polling will be held between December 15, 2025, and January 10, 2026.