Though ideologically opposed to each other both the BJP and the Indian National Congress have their symbols rooted in Hindu religious iconography.
Lotus has a great sacred and esoteric significance in Hindu religion, mythology and iconography.
A lotus arises out of the navel of Lord Vishnu (the Creator) according to the Hindu pantheon, as he sleeps on the Sheshsaiya or coils of the serpent Sheshnaag with its seven hoods. On this lotus sits Brahma, who creates the universe.
The goddess Lakshmi is also known to sit on a red Lotus, and Sarasvati, on a white lotus.
In Hinduism, the lotus found in muddy ponds remains unpolluted and untouched by the mud representing spiritual enlightenment, beauty, fertility, purity, prosperity, and eternity. Humans are admonished live in the world like the lotus, untouched by their impure surroundings.
Of the flowers in Hinduism clearly the most revered is the Lotus.
No wonder the Committee which was set up to decide the symbol of the Bhartiya Janata Party when it was created out of the erstwhile Jan Sangh in 1980, which had a lamp as it symbol, it decided to make the new party’s symbol as lotus, one of the most popular and known Hindu symbol. The Hindu majoritarian leanings of BJP were not hidden.
The issue of the lotus being allotted to BJP as its election symbol has also been challenged in court on the plea that it was a national symbol and had religious significance. However, courts have dismissed all such pleas.
Election symbols are useful to give the political party an identity and greatly helps the voters to recognise which candidate belongs to which party or if he/she is standing independent.
Now as far as Congress’s palm symbol is concerned very few people know today that it came from the Emur Bhagavathy or Hemambika temple, in Palakkad, Kerala.
Former Prime Minister Mrs Indira Gandhi was inspired by the deity of this temple. The deity of the temple is supposed to be just two palms. The Indian National Congress adopted it a few years before BJP came into being as a political party, in 1978.
According to legend Kurur and Kaimukku Nampoothiris used to visit this holy place daily for worship.
One day returning home after worship and while resting under a tree. An old woman appeared before them and gave them some sweet fruits. Next day, near the tree they found a huge elephant and had ‘Darshan’ of the golden coloured Goddess.
From that day onwards, they started worshipping the Goddess under the tree. Kurur was incapacitated by old age and found it difficult to carry out the daily routine of worship in the mountain.
One night, Goddess appeared before him in his dream and consoled him that she will be seen in the pond near his house and can worship her there. Early next morning the devotees found two beautiful hands coming out of the pond in the middle. Kurur, in his excitement, jumped into the pond, swam to the centre and caught hold of the hands. Immediately, the hands turned into stone, became stationary. The Kallekulangara, where the temple is situated, derives its name from this incident. With the help of the friend Kaimukku, Kuru worshipped the hands.
The Goddess is worshipped as Saraswathy in the Morning, as Lakshmi at Noon and as Durga in Evening.
Between 1952 and 1969, the Congress was represented by the symbol of a pair of bullocks carrying a yoke. When Indira Gandhi launched her own group of Congress by splitting INC and having her own INC (Requisitionist) then she got a new election symbol-a cow with sucking calf.
When she again split from the Congress (R) faction following 1977 elections and created the new Congress (I) or Indira, then she used the hand symbol of the palm and wrist which became the symbol for the party.
Looking at the low literacy in country Election Commission since the beginning of election saw to it that symbols to independent candidates and parties should be familiar and easily recognisable objects. They should not be highly evocative without emotional or religious association.
Interestingly when Indira Gandhi fought with the cow and calf symbol, she faced the great deal of opposition being charged that the image of cow was being used to appeal to the Hindu religious sentiments.
Dismissing a petition in 1972, the Gujarat High Court, however, held that “a pictorial representation of a cow or a calf did not symbolise the religion.”
Interestingly, the Bahujan Samaj party has the elephant as its party election symbol.
Its election symbol is the same symbol historically used by Dr Ambedkar’s Scheduled Castes Federation.
Unlike the Congress and the BJP, the BSP’ elephant is supposed to emphasize as the large size of the elephant the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes who BSP claims to represent form a very large part of the society.
Secondly this section of the society may move slowly but it has the power like the slow-moving but powerful elephant to dismantle the inequalities and inequities of the social structure dominated by the upper castes and bring about a uniform structure.
The Rastriya Janata Dal’s symbol — the hurricane lamp — is also a symbol easily recognisable by the common masses as that which provides light and dispels darkness.
Samajwadi Party’s symbol of the cycle also represents the vehicle used by majority of the poor masses belonging to the poor and lower middle classes in the rural and urban areas.
The Nationalist Congress Party has as its symbol clock, clearly urging people to take the right decision at the right time or demand what the party in power did during its time.
There are large number of state level parties which have different symbols which make an interesting read.
Andhra Pradesh’s Telangana Rashtra Samithi has a car as its symbol while the Telegu Desam Party has a bicycle. Whether TRS is trying to depict the aspirations of the middle classes or the TDP trying to align itself to the common masses via its symbol is not known.
In Arunachal Pradesh, the Peoples Party of Arunachal has a symbol of a sheaf of maize.
In Assam you have All India United Democratic Front, the symbol of a lock and key, perhaps denoting that it would keep the interests of the people secure and safe in lock and key.
Assam Gana Parishad like the BSP has the Elephant as it symbol.The Bodoland Peoples Front has Nangol, a tool used to plough land as its symbol.
In Bihar you have the arrow as the symbol of Janata Dal United and the bunglow as the symbol of Lok Jana Shakti party. Maharashtravadi Gomantak party in Goa has the symbol of Lion.
Haryana’s, Haryana Janhit Congress has the symbol of tractor demonstrating the prosperous farmers. Indian National Lok Dal has the symbol of spectacles perhaps to be able to see the ills of society.
Jammu and Kashmir’s National Conference has the symbol of plough and Peoples Democratic Party has the interesting symbol of Ink Pot and Pen, obviously stressing on education and removal of illiteracy. The National Panthers Party has the symbol of bicycle.
In Jharkhand, the All-Jharkhand Students Union party has the symbol of a banana. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has the symbol of a bow and arrow and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha has the symbol of a cock.
Janata Dal Secular in Karnataka has the symbol of a lady farmer carrying paddy on her head. Like the Congress, the Karnataka Janata Paksha has the symbol of a hand, the Congress (M) party has the symbol of two leaves.
The Indian Union of Muslim League has the symbol of a ladder probably denoting that it would fulfil the desire of people to move up in life.
Maharashtra’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has a railway engine as its symbol. That is really an interesting symbol with so much talk of double engine government. Shiv Sena has its symbol as the bow and arrow.
National People’s Party of former speaker P.A. Sangma has the party symbol, ‘Book’.
Sangma has said, “Book will be the national symbol of the party because we believe that only literacy and education can empower the weaker sections.”
The Manipur State Congress Party has the symbol of a cultivator cutting crop. The Nagaland Peoples Front too has clock as its symbol. The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) of Nagaland has the symbol of a globe.
Meghalaya’s United Democratic party has the symbol of a drum and Peoples Democratic Alliance has the symbol of a crown (obviously the winner gets it). The Hill State Peoples Demiocratic Party has symbol of lion.
The Mizoram National Party has a star as its symbol and the Mizoram Peoples Conference has as its symbol an electric bulb.
The Biju Janata Dal in Odisha has the conch as its symbol, the Rashtriya Lok Dal in Uttar Pradesh has hand pump as its symbol, both easily identifiable by everyone.
The Revolutionary Socialist Party has as its symbol Spade and Stoker, Sikkim Democratic Front has an umbrella as its symbol, Shiromani Akali Dal has as its symbol scales showing that it will be balanced. Pattali Makkal Katchi party in Tamil Nadu has as its symbol the mango – indicating that bringing it to power will be fruitful, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has the rising sun and the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has as its symbol two leaves.
The All India N.R. Congress of Puducherry has a jug for its symbol clearly showing that it will fulfil the thirst of its people and Azad Samaj Party in UP has as its symbol a kettle.
These are the reserved symbols political parties but then the Election Commission keeps a number of other symbols which a free symbols which are allotted to independents in fray like Aeroplane, Almirah, Axe, Balloon , Banana, Bangles, Basket Bat, Batsman, Battery, Torch, Bead Necklace, Bell, Bread, Brick, Bridge ,Brief Case, Brinjal ,Brush , Bus , Cake, Camera, Candles, Car, Carrom Board, Carrot, Ceiling Fan, Chair, Coat, Coconut, Comb, Cup & Saucer, Electric Pole, Envelope, Fork, Frock , Frying Pan, Gas Cylinder,
Glass Tumbler, Hanger, Harmonium, Hat, Ice Cream, Iron, Lady Purse, Letter Box, Neck Tie, Pressure Cooker, Ring, Road Roller, Saw, Scissors, Sewing Machine, Spoon, Television, Toffee, Violin, Walking Stick, Whistle, Woman carrying Pot on her head, Wool, among many others.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) symbol seems to have been inspired by the universally recognised hammer, sickle and five-pointed star.
The jhaadu (broom) symbol of the Aam Aadmi Party, rightly seems to signify its ambition to sweep and clear all the corruption in the society as the party came into existence as part of India Against Corruption protests led by Anna Hazare. Ironically the party today is embroiled in alleged corruption charges.
The Election Commission feels that some state parties could have the same symbols as long as two different candidates were fighting under different symbols in the same constituency it would not create any problem. However, some time the Commission stops the use of certain symbols in some states.
One must note that the bicycle is a symbol of Telugu Desam Party (TDP), as well as Samajwadi Party.
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