Bat,whistle,jug,coconut-symbols get innovative

While Ranjit Shirole from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) would turn to the “whistle” to pull his votes for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections,independent candidate Arun Bhatia from the People’s Guardian Party will do so with a “nagara” and independent candidate Amanullah Khan will have to turn to the blackboard for pulling his votes for the Pune Lok Sabha seat. Independent candidate Vikram Boke contesting for the seat has got “bat” as his symbol for the forthcoming elections. The other main candidates include Suresh Kalmadi from the Congress,Anil Shirole from the BJP and DS Kulkarni from BSP.

All the candidates contesting for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections were given their symbols yesterday through a draw of lots of free symbols according to the guidelines of the election commission. Among the main symbols reserved for national parties include the hand for the Indian National Congress,the clock for the Nationalist Congress Party,the elephant for the Bahujan Samaj Party,the lotus for the Bharatiya Janata Party and the bow and arrow for the Shivsena. The other parties got their symbols from the 59 sanctioned symbols by the election commission in a draw of lots conducted by the respective returning officer of the four constituency. For Baramati,independent candidate Mrinalini Kakde has got the jug as her symbol,while Kranti Sena’s Sangeeta Shelar has bagged the railway engine as her symbol. The other key contestants for the seat include NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule for the NCP,Kanta Nalawade from the BJP and Vivek Kudalepatil from the BSP. While for the Shirur Lok Sabha constituency besides the main candidates Shivaji Adhalrao from Shiv Sena and Vilas Lande from Nationalist Congress Party (NCP),Yeshwant Zagade from BSP,the namesake Vilas Mhatarba Lande who is contesting as an independent has got the ring as his symbol.

While for the Maval Lok Sabha seat,besides NCP’s Azam Pansare,Shiv Sena’s Gajanan Babar and Umakant Mishra from BSP,independent candidate Maruti Bhapkar has bagged the coconut as his symbol.