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Chandigarh, Oct. 1: Election symbols can fly like the Save Goa Front’s aeroplane or roar like the Forward Bloc’s lion. They can allow a candidate to blow his own conch (Biju Janata Dal) or beat his own drum (United Democratic Party, Meghalaya).
But a condom? That’s a no-no.
When Anand Prakash Sharma, Independent candidate from Karnal in Haryana, asked to be allotted the safe-sex sheath as his symbol, he was told it couldn’t be done. Instead, he has been offered the candle, perhaps because the Election Commission thought a candlelit dinner was as far as it could allow romance to be taken on its beat.
Sharma today wrote to chief election commissioner Navin Chawla expressing shock at the absence of condoms from the official list of symbols that has room for such articles of everyday use as the bat, almirah, battery, torch, comb, ladies’ purse, pressure cooker — even the fork and the walking stick.
“It’s strange that while the Centre and state governments can spend crores on advertisements asking people to practise safe sex by using condoms, it cannot allow its use as a symbol to contest elections in the country,” Sharma, 45, told The Telegraph.
His letter to Chawla, written in Hindi, appeals for the inclusion of “Nirodh” in the list of symbols.
“The faster you include (the) condom, the better it will be for society and the nation,” it says. “When families can together watch TV advertisements and read about condoms in newspapers and magazines, I have no reason to believe that they will not accept its use as a poll symbol. It will help create awareness on HIV/AIDS and can also help stem the growing population….”
The issue is close to Sharma’s heart. He says he has for the past 15 years been working on promoting HIV/AIDS awareness and the rights of sex workers. These were to be his planks for the October 13 polls.
The poll panel has a list of 70 free symbols, apart from reserved ones like the hand (Congress) and the lotus (BJP), to be allotted to other parties and Independents.
It’s not that the commission objects to the idea of protection — it had awarded the umbrella to the Sikkim Democratic Front. Nor is it against items that one can wear — its list includes the frock, coat and the hat.
“I had initially thought I would be able to convince the poll officials…. Since no political party uses the condom as its symbol, it could have been provided to me,” a dejected Sharma said. But the commission decided to go by the book (symbol of the National People’s Party, Manipur).
Sharma said he had sent a copy of his letter to the state’s election officials. The officials claimed ignorance about Sharma’s request but one of them said with a smile: “Perhaps it (the condom) can be included (in the list) in the next round.”
Sharma has a court precedent on his side. The Supreme Court recently suggested to the commission, in a non-binding observation, that it grant any symbol demanded by a political party or an Independent.
The court granted the engine, whistle and the coconut — none of them figure on the list of 70 — to three unrecognised Maharashtra parties.
