Mayawati's Elephant Statues Usher New Rules About Wasting Public Money

New Delhi: No political party would be allowed to use public funds and government machinery to publicise its political symbol, the Election Commission has said, amid a legal tussle over elephant statues in Uttar Pradesh installed during the Bahujan Samaj Party's rule.

Mayawati, among the main challengers of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in state elections due next year, had commissioned major controversy during her rule in the state for spending crores on larger-than-life statues of herself, icons of the Dalit community, and elephants - her party's poll symbol.

During Tamil Nadu assembly elections this year, opposition parties had complained to the poll panel that the ruling AIADMK was using its symbol of two leaves on government mini buses to promote its campaign.

Similar moves in the future by any party could now invite a ban on its election symbol, the Election Commission said in a directive on Friday.

The order came after the Delhi High Court in July authorised the poll panel to frame a directive in response to a plea seeking cancellation of the political mascot of Mayawati's party.

"The Commission has directed that no political party shall henceforth either use or allow the use of any public funds or public place or government machinery for carrying out any activity that would amount to advertisement for the party or propagating the election symbol allotted to the party," it said.

The Delhi High Court judgement had come after a petition by a non-profit which had claimed that putting up elephant statues in public places "disturbs the level-playing field" in an electoral contest as it stands on the same footing like the display of a photograph inside an office.

The Election Commission had then written to all political parties seeking their views, eliciting unanimous consent for new rules.