Trumpet, tutari frozen as poll symbols for Maharashtra polls at NCP (SP)’s request
In a letter dated June 15 to the ECI, the party said the allocation of similar symbols resulted in “a loss of votes to the party” during the general elections this year
The Maharashtra State Election Commission has frozen bigul (trumpet) and tutari (a bugle-like instrument also called a turha) as poll symbols for the state assembly elections due this year at the Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar or NCP (SP)’s request. No other political party can now use them as poll symbols.
NCP (SP) asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to remove the turhi, tutari, and trumpet from the list of available symbols as they are “deceptively similar” its symbol (a man blowing a trumpet/tutari).
“Finally, truth has won. The Election Commission has frozen the free symbols ‘Tutari’ and ‘Bigul’. The NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar)’s fight against attempts to mislead voters by using symbols like ‘Pipani’ and ‘Bugul’ as ‘Tutari’ has been successful. Now, only the sign of the ‘Tutari Player’ who is giving a new direction to Maharashtra will be seen on the voting machine!” the party tweeted on Friday.
In a letter dated June 15 to the ECI, the party said the allocation of similar symbols resulted in “a loss of votes to the party” during the general elections this year. It added an independent candidate with the tutari as a symbol “capitalized” on the “established brand” of NCP (SP) and “managed to secure a substantial number of votes that rightfully should have accrued” to the NCP (SP).
The party raised the issue before the elections as well. The ECI in April said that the two symbols were distinct enough not to cause confusion among voters.