EC Bars JD(U) From Using ‘Arrow’ Symbol in Jharkhand and Maharashtra Polls

The Election Commission has stopped the Janata Dal (United) from contesting elections in Jharkhand and Maharashtra on its reserved ‘arrow’ symbol, because it closely resembles the ‘bow and arrow’ used by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) in Jharkhand and by the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.

Why the concession was withdrawn

The commission had earlier allowed JD(U), under a provision of its rules, to use the symbol in the two states. It reversed that decision after the JMM approached it and argued that the near-identical symbols could mislead voters.

JD(U), the JMM and the Shiv Sena are recognised as state parties in Bihar, Jharkhand and Maharashtra respectively. In an order issued on August 16, the commission said that after weighing every aspect of the matter, JD(U) “will not be granted concession under Paragraph 10 of the Symbols Order” to use the arrow in those two states from now on.

The earlier ruling on Bihar

In March, the commission had ruled that the JMM and the Shiv Sena could not use their own symbol in Bihar. It said the reasoning set out in that order, dated March 8, 2019, applied equally to the JMM’s present complaint. The same principle, it added, would hold in Maharashtra, where the Shiv Sena’s reserved symbol is the bow and arrow.

What happened next

In the 2019 Jharkhand assembly election, the JMM won 30 seats, the BJP 25 and the Congress 16, and Hemant Soren became Chief Minister. In Maharashtra’s 2019 election, the BJP won 105 of 288 seats and the Shiv Sena 56; after their alliance broke, Uddhav Thackeray of the Shiv Sena became Chief Minister in November 2019 with NCP and Congress support.

See also: Janata Dal (United), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.

Originally published on 26 August 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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