**VBA’s Petition for Gas Cylinder Symbol Dismissed by Bombay High Court**
The Bombay High Court has dismissed a petition from the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), led by Prakash Ambedkar, which sought exclusive allotment of the “gas cylinder” symbol for the upcoming local body elections in Maharashtra. The ruling came from a bench comprising Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam A Ankhad, who questioned the VBA’s choice to file an election petition rather than a writ petition.
The VBA argued that it had previously been allotted the gas cylinder symbol in the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections by the Election Commission of India (ECI) and sought the same symbol for the forthcoming local elections. However, the court noted that the symbol is currently available for any candidate at the local level.
Advocate Sachindra B Shetye, representing the State Election Commission (SEC), clarified that the ECI’s decisions do not influence the SEC, which operates as an independent authority. He emphasized that the allotment of symbols for local body elections is solely under the SEC’s jurisdiction. Shetye pointed out that the VBA had approached the incorrect authority, as the competent authority for symbol reservation is the District Collector for Zilla Parishads, Municipal Councils, and Nagar Panchayats, and the Municipal Commissioner for Municipal Corporations. He stated that the VBA should have contacted each relevant authority in the local bodies where it intended to contest.
Furthermore, Shetye highlighted that a party must secure at least 5% of seats in previous local body elections to qualify for temporary reservation of a free symbol, a criterion the VBA had not met. He remarked, “The party has missed the bus.”
In response, Prakash Ambedkar contended that the VBA was established only in 2019 and that the SEC had not conducted local body elections in the past decade, making it impossible for the party to meet the 5% requirement. He noted that the VBA had garnered nearly 40 lakh votes in parliamentary and assembly elections and argued that competent authorities only come into existence after elections are announced.
After considering Shetye’s arguments, the bench determined that it was unnecessary to seek a response from the SEC. The judges observed that the VBA had not approached the competent authorities as required and concluded that the relief sought could not be granted for multiple reasons. They also noted that the SEC’s order from May 5, 2025, regarding symbol allocation had not prompted any action from the VBA for six months, leading to the court’s dismissal of the petition. The judges rejected the VBA’s claim that urgency arose only after receiving recent communication from the SEC.
The dismissal leaves the VBA uncertain about securing a uniform symbol across local body elections, potentially compelling the party to contest different constituencies with varying symbols throughout Maharashtra.
**FAQ**
**Q: Why was the VBA’s petition for the gas cylinder symbol dismissed?**
A: The Bombay High Court dismissed the VBA’s petition because it approached the wrong authority for symbol allotment and failed to meet the criteria for temporary reservation of a free symbol.
