Newly-formed Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) headed by former Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) chairman Prof M Kodandaram, has been making a hard bargain with the Congress party for good number of seats, but what worries him was the lack of an election symbol for his party.
Kodandaram has registered his party with the Election Commission of India long ago, but he has not got any official symbol for the party.
He recently applied to the EC for the allotment of a common symbol to his party candidates, so that they would contest on the same symbol in the allotted seats.
However, EC reportedly clarified to him that new symbols were not available for allotment at this moment and the requisition would be considered at later stage.
The TJS made a fresh representation to the EC for allotment of a common symbol from the available list, torchlight, scissors or whistle, but there was no information from the EC yet.
This has caused a lot of tension for Kodandaram, as the date of nominations is fast approaching. If the EC does not any common symbol, the TJS candidates would have to contest individually as independent candidates.
Even if the EC allots a common symbol just before the nomination process also, it does not help the TJS as it is very difficult to take the symbol into the people within such a short notice.
Already, Kodandaram is under pressure from the Congress leadership that the TJS candidates better contest on the Congress party symbol, since it is more popular among the voters and a new symbol, even if it is allotted by the EC now, cannot be taken into the people effectively.
But Kodandaram is adamant that the TJS would contest on its own symbol to be allotted by the Election Commission and not on the Congress symbol.
But heart in hearts, he is worried about lack of the common symbol, say the party source.
