State Election Commission Announces 80 Old‑School Symbols for Rajasthan Polls

Jaipur, August 25 – The Rajasthan State Election Commission has unveiled a comprehensive set of 80 traditional election symbols for the forthcoming urban local body and panchayati raj contests. The list explicitly excludes any modern electronics such as smartphones, laptops, tablets or scooters, favoring objects that have historically been part of every household.

Four‑digit numbers of symbols are divided into two groups. The first group of 40 icons is earmarked for independent candidates aligned with recognised political parties. It includes a slate, pencil, letter‑box, tea kettle, fork, mortar‑pestle, old‑style iron, wooden stick and a mason’s trowel. The second group of 40 symbols is reserved for unaffiliated ward‑member hopefuls, featuring a charpai, hand‑cranked grinding stone, sewing machine, antique telephone, chain, saw, box and a suite of market items such as cauliflower, grapes, green chilli, hand‑cart, brick, fountain, bicycle pump and a sail‑boat.

The commission clarified that these symbols are meant solely to aid voter identification, especially for the segment of the electorate that is illiterate or semi‑literate. All recognised parties will retain their long‑standing emblems – lotus for BJP, hand for Congress, elephant for BSP, hammer‑sickle‑star for the Communist Party, broom for AAP, and book for NPP – while regional parties like the RLD’s bottle and BAP’s bow‑and‑arrow will also stay unchanged.