LS Polls: Election Commission allots 'Mike' symbol to Seeman's NTK

CHENNAI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has allotted 'Mike' symbol to Seeman's Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) for the April 19 polls.

The NTK has approached the Supreme Court and challenged the ECI for allotting the symbol 'Sugarcane farmer' (Ganna Kisan) to Bharatiya Praja Aikyata Party under the under the provision of 10 B of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order 1968.

Since there was little time for the election, the party leadership has decided to face the elections in whatever the symbol allotted by the ECI.

The Commission has allotted 'Mango' and 'Cooker' symbols to Pattali Makkal Katchi and Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), which are facing the LS polls as part of the BJP-led NDA. G K Vasan's Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar) got the 'Bicyle' symbol under para 10 B of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order 1968, according to the commission from the ECI.

Meanwhile, the ECI deployed general and police observers for all the 39 constituencies in the state. The commission has also developed an application - Suvidha Candidate App - to facilitate candidates with nomination and permission process during the election periods. Yet another application - Saksham App - has been developed towards easing the voter identification and registration process for people with disabilities (PwDs).

The application is designed with features - voice assistance, text-to-speech, accessibility features, information on polling stations and complaints - to offer customised service to PwDs. It would be a valuable tool for the targeted group to participate in the electoral process.