'Whistle' symbol to be allotted to BVA following due procedure: ECI tells Bombay HC

Mumbai: The Election Commission of India told the Bombay High Court on Monday that the ‘whistle’ symbol would be allotted to Hitendra Thakur-led Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly polls following requisite guidelines.

The ECI in January this year allotted the ‘whistle’ symbol to the Janata Dal (United).

A BVA candidate contested the 2024 general polls on the ‘whistle’ symbol from Maharashtra’s Palghar Lok Sabha seat as the JD(U) did not have a candidate.

A division bench of Justices Somasekhar Sundaresan and Arif Doctor was on Monday hearing a petition by the BVA for allotting the symbol to the party.

During the hearing before the court, the ECI submitted a letter received from the JD(U) informing the poll body about its decision to not contest the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections.

Thus, the party was surrendering the ‘whistle’ symbol allotted to it by virtue of an order dated January 30, 2024, the JD(U) said in the letter.

The ECI told the court that since the petitioner (BVA) had applied for the ‘whistle’ symbol, the same would be allotted to the party “by following the procedure laid down in the requisite rules/guidelines”.

Following the poll body’s submission, the bench disposed of BVA’s petition.