Can a political party have the cockroach as its election symbol? What EC rules say

Ever since Chief Justice of India Surya Kant remarked during a hearing last month that a section of unemployed youth had become “cockroaches”, the image of the insect has come to be used by those protesting against the statement as well as the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

CJP is not a political party but a “youth pressure group”, according to its founder Abhijeet Dipke. Dipke has not ruled out applying for registration as a political party with the Election Commission (EC) in the future, but for now, the group has an online presence and held its first protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on June 6.

Even if the CJP were to register as a party and apply for the cockroach as its election symbol, the EC is unlikely to allot it. Here’s what the EC’s rules say and what election symbols are available to new parties.

What the rules say

The EC allots election symbols to parties and independent candidates as per the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968. According to the Symbols Order, the recognised national and state parties’ candidates are allotted the reserved symbol of their respective parties — for instance, the lotus for the BJP, or the raised hand for the Congress.

For unrecognised parties, which are registered parties that have not met the electoral performance criteria for the national or state party tag, or independent candidates, the EC allots symbols from a list of “free symbols”. These candidates and unrecognised parties can request for their choice of symbol from the list, but they are not assured of getting the same.

What kinds of symbols are allowed

In the list of free symbols, which the EC revises from time to time, images include fruits, vegetables, household appliances, farm equipment, sports equipment, etc. The latest list, which was published by the EC on May 23, 2025, has 184 symbols, including air-conditioner, balloon, door bell, dustbin, frying pan, jackfruit, and grapes.

Some household items such as immersion rod, latch, mixer, toothbrush, and TV remote are also on the list. A variety of fruits and vegetables as well as other food, including cake and toffees, are also on the list.

The EC list also states that certain symbols can be allotted freely except in certain states and Union Territories. For instance, the apple can be allotted to a party “in all States and Union Territories except in the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Kerala & Karnataka”.

This is because in the states mentioned above, the symbol has already been allotted to a recognised state party. This means that two different recognised parties in two different states can have the same election symbol: there is no rule against it, and these parties are unlikely to contest against each other.

Can the cockroach be an election symbol?

Following representations from animal welfare activists in the 1990s, the Election Commission stopped allotting animals as election symbols.

Former Union Minister and founder of People for Animals (PFA) Maneka Gandhi wrote in a post on the PFA website that for the 1989 Tamil Nadu Assembly election, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam faction led by J Jayalalithaa was allotted the rooster as its election symbol. According to her, thousands of roosters were tied to the top of fast-moving vehicles during the state election. She claimed that this resulted in the deaths of thousands of roosters, whose bodies were “strewn all over Tamil Nadu every evening”.

The Bahujan Samaj Party, which was formed prior to the ban, still retains its election symbol, the elephant, making it one of the few exceptions.

With the EC’s prevailing stand against allotting animals as election symbols, the cockroach symbol is unlikely to be granted if anyone seeks the same, EC officials said.