Independent Candidates with ‘Tutari’ Symbol Harm NCP (Sharad Pawar) in Maharashtra Lok Sabha Elections
Mumbai, 6th June 2024: Independent candidates contesting under the ‘tutari’ (trumpet) symbol have significantly impacted NCP (Sharad Chandra Pawar) candidates in nine out of the ten seats the party contested in the Maharashtra Lok Sabha elections. Party officials stated that this confusion contributed to their loss in the Satara constituency.
Following the split of the united NCP, the Election Commission of India assigned the ‘man blowing turha’ symbol to the NCP (SCP) for the Lok Sabha polls. The symbol, depicting a man blowing a wind instrument, closely resembles the ‘tutari’. This similarity led to the ‘tutari’ symbol being assigned to several independent and unrecognized party candidates.
In April, NCP (SCP) officials objected to the Election Commission about the symbol’s name in Marathi, arguing it would confuse voters. They proposed it be called ‘pipani’ instead of ‘tutari’.
Jayant Patil, NCP (SCP) state president, said, “In our speeches, we urged people to vote for the ‘tutari’, which inadvertently supported independent candidates with that symbol. Despite raising this issue with the ECI, it was ignored. The symbol, which should have been called ‘pipani’ in Marathi, was labeled ‘tutari’, leading to confusion among voters.”
During the campaign, NCP (SCP) promoted the ‘tutari’ symbol instead of the ‘man blowing turha’, with Baramati’s winning candidate Supriya Sule coining the slogan ‘Ram Krishna Hari Waajva Tutari’.
Shreeram Shete, a senior NCP (SCP) official from Dindori, remarked, “The party presented the ‘man blowing turha’ symbol to the public, but last-minute confusion led to a split in votes. This was a political tactic by our opponents.”
On Wednesday, NCP (SCP) leaders claimed that on polling day, voters were confused between the ‘tutari’ symbol and the ‘man blowing turha’ symbol, contributing to the defeat of their candidate in Satara. NCP (SCP) candidate Shashikant Shinde lost to BJP’s Udayanraje Bhonsle by a margin of 32,771 votes, while Sanjay Gade, the independent candidate with the ‘tutari’ symbol, garnered 37,062 votes.
NCP (SCP) leaders also noted that the ‘tutari’ symbol reduced their vote share by an average of over 40,000 votes in eight constituencies. The party faced independent candidates with the ‘tutari’ symbol in nine seats, except for Wardha, where an independent candidate withdrew their request for the symbol after intervention by the returning officer and an objection from NCP (SCP) candidate Amar Kale.
