What is available is ‘farmer sowing seed’ and just the ‘yoke’ as symbol.

According to the election code of conduct, as the gram panchayat elections are fought without any party affiliations, the party symbols cannot be used.

As a result the Election Commission itself will give the symbols to chose. Amongst the 78 symbols decided by the E, though there is the farmer carrying yoke symbol, the commission has decided that no candidate can use it. A direction has been give to the election officer and assistant election officer in this regard.

Symbols

The following are the symbols the EC is giving: Aeroplane, almirah, apple, axe, pearl necklace, bell, cycle, boat, bow and arrow, bucket, horn, bullock cart, banana bunch, big house, bus, balloon, vegetable basket, bench, black board, brick, briefcase, book, cart, hat, ceiling fan, chair, conch, cot, farmer sowing seed, coat, dam, drum, dhol, diesel pump, electrical bulb, fire engine, flute, glass tumbler, hand pump, hut, harmonium, jeep, kite, ladder, lantern, lock and key. Besides, there are other symbols such as post box, motor car, mango,  pineapple, yoke, radio, railway engine, rising sun, road roller, weighing machine, scooter, glasses, scissors, slate, stool, table, telephone, television, tree, top, umbrella, burning lamp, two leaves, maize, arrow, farmer carrying yoke in the wheel, three stars in the flag, and a few other symbols have been listed in the returning officer’s booklet distributed by the EC.

EC additional secretary C R Revanna has written letters to all district election officers asking them to inform the returning officers not to give the farmer carrying yoke symbol to any candidate.

Banned

As the use of symbol was stopped till 2009 December end, it had been banned. However, it is still printed in the booklet.

A letter has been written to the Election Commission in this regard, but till now there is no reply from the EC.

Farmer carrying yoke in the wheel was a symbol of a political party earlier.
As the election is apolitical in nature, this symbol should not be used is the view of the Election Commission.

However, a candidate feels that the Election Commission should not have banned the symbol as this symbol is the most appropriate to be used in the Gram Panchayat elections than any other symbol. For, it reflects the true meaning of those in ‘gram’ or rural areas.