Above: (Left) Arrow, the symbol of JD (U); (right) Bihar CM Nitish Kumar

The Delhi High Court bench of Justice Indermeet Kaur on Wednesday (November 22) refused to pass any order on the petition seeking stay of Election Commission of India (ECI) order allotting JD(U) symbol “Arrow” to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar faction.

The Court asked the poll panel to explain reasons for their decision to allot “Arrow” to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar faction at the earliest, and directed it to apprise it by Thursday (November 23). The Court asked it that until then it is holding up the order.

The Court listed the matter for next hearing to November 23.

The Bench was hearing the petition filed by Chhotubhai Amarsang Vasava who is acting president of Sharad Yadav’s faction.

The petitioner submitted to the Bench on Wednesday (November 22) that ECI had wrongly allotted the party symbol “Arrow” and recognising Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar led faction as real Janata Dal (United).

“ECI’s November 17 order should be quashed as it has “gravely erred” in granting JD(U)’s official symbol “Arrow” to the Nitish Kumar faction,” stated Chhotubhai.

The ECI while allotting the “Arrow” symbol to Nitish Kumar led faction had said in its order: “As per the Commission’s record, Nitish Kumar is the President of the party, elected in 2016, as per the information furnished by the party under Sub-section (9) of Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.”

—India Legal Bureau