Pune polls: Independents face identity crisis

Independent candidates and civic society organisations’ representatives contesting the polls are facing an identity crisis. If the Election Commission’s (EC) new timetable is to be followed, they will get just 9 days to propagate their election symbols among voters.

Pune Nagrik Sanghatana (PNS), Pune Janhit Aghadi (PJA), Marxist Communist Party (MCP) and Janata Dal have sent a fax to the EC requesting that they should get the symbols on February 4 or the voting date should be extended.

As these candidates are not representing any registered political party, they will be allotted election symbols only after the election officers scrutinise their papers and after the last date of withdrawals.

The date of scrutiny has been extended and the date of withdrawal is February 4. With February 5 being a holiday, the symbols may be distributed only by February 6.

“How will people get acquainted with our symbols if we are given so little time to campaign?” said independent candidate and corporator Ujwal Keskar.

PNS founder Vivek Velankar said, “It’s unfair that political parties are getting more time for campaigning while we are still waiting for symbols.”

The extension of date of withdrawal gives political parties more time to consider the final list of contestants and distributing forms ‘A’ and ‘B’.