No smartphone, no laptop: Rajasthan polls bring back the charpai, kettle and tongs

Jaipur, Aug 25 (IANS) Rajasthan’s upcoming local body elections are getting an unexpected nostalgic twist. While political campaigns increasingly rely on smartphones, social media and digital outreach, independent candidates will have to choose from election symbols that include charpais, tea kettles, tongs, grinding mills, slates and even old-style telephones.

The State Election Commission has released the list of election symbols for the upcoming municipal and Panchayati Raj polls. And one thing stands out: The symbols look more like a tour through an old Rajasthan household than a list designed for the smartphone generation.

For young voters accustomed to smartphones, laptops and tablets, the symbol list offers a striking contrast. Smartphones, laptops, tablets and scooters have not made the cut among the free symbols. Instead, voters could soon see candidates campaigning with symbols such as a charpai, hand-operated flour mill (chakki), sewing machine, kettle, tongs or mortar and pestle.

The symbols may be old-fashioned, but their purpose remains very modern, to make candidates instantly recognisable on the ballot.

The list contains objects that were once staples of almost every household. For independent candidates contesting the post of Municipal Council President or Chairman, the 40 free symbols include a slate, pencil, letter box, tea kettle, tongs, mortar and pestle, traditional iron and walking stick, among others.

Traditional tools such as a mason’s trowel have also found a place. The 40 free symbols available to independent ward candidates are equally interesting. A candidate could end up contesting with a charpai, grinding mill, sewing machine, old telephone, chain, saw or box as their identity.

There are also symbols straight from the kitchen and vegetable market, including cauliflower, grapes and green chilli. A sailboat, handcart, brick, fountain and bicycle pump also feature in the list.

For the younger generation, perhaps the most surprising entries are the slate, frock and old-style telephone, objects that have largely vanished from everyday childhood and communication.

While Independents get the nostalgic choices, recognised political parties retain their established symbols.

The BJP has the Lotus, the Congress the Hand, the BSP the Elephant, the CPI(M) the Hammer, Sickle and Star, the AAP the Broom, and the National People’s Party the Book.

Among Rajasthan’s recognised state parties, the RLP has the Bottle, while the BAP has the Bow and Arrow. The symbol list offers an amusing snapshot of changing lifestyles.

The objects may belong to an older era, but they could soon become the visual identities of candidates fighting a very contemporary political battle.

So, when Rajasthan goes to the local polls, voters may find themselves looking not for a smartphone or laptop, but for the charpai, kettle, tongs, slate or grinding mill. In Rajasthan’s next local elections, the road to the ballot box may just run through the old household cupboard.

–IANS

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