E-Paper
‘Tutari’ symbol dented NCP (SP)’s votes in nine constituencies
Tutari, a trumpet-like instrument, allotted as symbol to little-known independent candidates in at least nine constituencies has led to vote division resulting in the loss of official NCP (SP) candidates
PUNE Tutari, a trumpet-like instrument, allotted as a symbol to little-known independent candidates in at least nine constituencies, has led to serious vote division which resulted in the loss of official Nationalist Congress Party (SP) candidates.
After the analysis of the data, it was found that, constituencies like Ambegaon in Pune district Paranda in Dharashiv district, Kej in Beed district, Shahapur and Belapur in Thane district, Ghansawangi in Jalana district, Jintur in Parbhani district, Anushakti Nagar in Mumbai, Parner in Ahmednagar district where the candidate with trumpet symbol gained substantial votes, which possibly led to the vote division of NCP (SP) candidates in their respective constituencies and resulting in their defeat.
In the Paranda constituency, state health minister Tanaji Sawant was elected by a thin margin of 1,509 votes by defeating NCP (SP) candidate Rahul Mote. In this constituency, an independent candidate Jameel Pathan with a trumpet symbol gained 4,446 votes.
In Parner constituency in Ahmednagar district from where Kashinath Date from NCP Ajit Pawar faction defeated Rani Lanke of NCP (SP) by a thin margin of 1,526 votes. Here an independent candidate Sakharam Sarak with a trumpet symbol secured 3,582 votes which paved the way for the NCP candidate. Rani Lanke is the wife of NCP (SP) MP Nilesh Lanke who defeated BJP leader Dr Sujay Vikhe Patil from the Ahmednagar Lok Sabha seat.
In a similar case, from the Anushaktinagar seat, NCP candidate Sana Malik daughter of Nawab Malik defeated NCP (SP) candidate Fahad Ahmed by a thin margin of 3,378 votes. In this constituency, an independent candidate Jayprakash Agrawal with a trumpet symbol secured 4,075 votes.
According to NCP (SP) state unit chief Jayant Patil, the symbol given by the Election Commission to many independent candidates created confusion among voters. “As a result, many voters voted for ‘tutari’ instead of a man blowing a trumpet. We are thinking of taking up this issue with the Election Commission,” Patil said.
It’s been a well-known trick in politics to prop up candidates whose name or election symbol resembles that of political opponents, in the hope that they will eat away part of the votes of the opponent.
After the Lok Sabha elections, the NCP-SP approached the Election Commission of India, claiming that it lost votes due to confusion caused by the trumpet symbol being referred to as ‘tutari.’ The party requested the poll body to ensure that no other party or independent candidate was allotted a symbol resembling the ‘tutari’ to avoid voter confusion.
Taking cognizance of it, the Election Commission issued an order prohibiting the use of the word ‘tutari,’ the Marathi term for trumpet.
According to the Election Commission’s directive, the term ‘tutari’ will no longer be used and instead the English word ‘trumpet’ will be applied when assigning symbols to independent candidates in assembly polls.
