Why TRS is at war with EC over belan and roti rolling board

Looking To Expand Its Footprint Nationally, The Telangana CM KCR-Led Party Claims Lookalike Symbols Given To Independents Hurt It Electorally

- U.Sudhakarreddy

You have to be either a creative genius or a 5-year-old with rudimentary sketching skills to illustrate a ‘belan’ and roti rolling board in a way that it looks like a car.

As absurd as it may sound, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is engaged in a lengthy battle with the Election Commission over just this. The party is asking the Commission to delete some free symbols for Indpendents and smaller parties because voters often confuse them with TRS’ car, the belan and rolling board being one of them. There is now a sense of urgency on the issue in TRS as it has applied to change its name to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and transform into a national party ahead of the 2024 general elections. The party is hoping to retain the car as its symbol in the new avatar.

How does a belan look like a car? Strategically place the belan over the rolling board, shrink its overall proportions and slightly extend the legs of the board and, voila, you have a crude-looking car.

The battle is not just about rotis and belans. As things stand today, TRS wants at least seven other symbols apart from the roti-maker deleted from EC’s list of images. And these include road roller, camera, television, doli, soap dish, sewing machine and ship.

So, while the two factions of the Shiv Sena battle over powerful symbols like the bow-and-arrow, mashaal, and swords, TRS is left battling soap dishes and sewing machines.