From cockroaches to elephants… the fascinating story of animal election symbols in Indian politics

From cockroach to elephant... the interesting story of animal symbols in Indian politics is making a lot of headlines on social media these days. The virtual party, which started from Boston in the US, quickly went viral on Instagram for its satirical style and anti-government posts. But this strange name raised a big question in the minds of people - Have there ever been parties with animal names or symbols in Indian politics?
If one were to turn the page of Indian electoral history, the answer is yes, and not just has been, but these symbols have even set the course of the country's politics.
Elephant has changed the picture of politics, the strongest identity of animal symbols in Indian politics has been associated with 'elephant'. The Bahujan Samaj Party made the elephant not just an election symbol, but a symbol of social power and the Bahujan movement. Under the leadership of Mayawati, this symbol became the political identity of crores of people across the country.
Interestingly, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) in the northeast also fielded an elephant symbol for a long time. That is, the same organism gave different political messages in different regions.
After the roar of the lion and the legacy of Netaji, if any creature symbolized the most power in politics, it was the 'lion'. Lion is the election symbol of the All India Forward Bloc founded by the great freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose.
This symbol reflects the aggressive and fearless ideology of the party. Even today, this party is present in the electoral arena with the same identity.
The bull and cow-calf era of the Congress The early electoral journey of the Indian National Congress was also associated with animal symbols. In the early elections after independence, the party's symbol used to be 'two bulls', representing rural India and peasant politics.
Later there was a split in the Congress and the faction led by Indira Gandhi got the 'cow and calf' election symbol. This symbol proved to be extremely influential in that period, both on an emotional and political level.
The influence of election symbols with animals and birds was not limited to North India. Such symbols were also used in the politics of South India.
Tamil Nadu's major party All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam used the 'rooster' symbol in one round. However, later due to the arrangements of the Election Commission and political circumstances, the party had to adopt a new symbol.
Now the new parties will not get the symbol of animals.
Now the question arises whether a new party in the future can get the election symbol of 'cockroach', 'dragon' or any other creature?
The answer is - no.
The Election Commission of India has banned election symbols with animals and birds for new political parties and independent candidates. The main reason for this is animal cruelty.
During the election campaign, many times complaints of real animals being paraded in rallies, kept in the sun and their misuse had come to the fore. After pressure from animal rights organizations, the commission changed the rules.
The legal exemption given to old parties, however, applies only to new parties. Political parties that have officially received symbols of creatures like elephants, lions decades ago can still use them today.
That is, parties like Bahujan Samaj Party, All India Forward Bloc can retain their old election symbols without any legal hassles.
Therefore, even though the 'Cockroach Janata Party' is trending on social media, the political entry of a new creature in Indian democracy is now considered almost impossible.