Kite out of bounds, Manpreet opts for hockey stick & ball for civic polls

CHANDIGARH: Estranged nephew of Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and People's Party of Punjab (PPP) supremo Manpreet Badal will have to rely on a hockey stick and ball to challenge the ruling Akali Dal-BJP combine in the February 22 and 26 civic polls.
Unlike Lok Sabha polls where kite was available to him in the list of free symbols, the state election commission on Monday said the PPP would have to forego its original party symbol to contest as it was not a recognised party anymore in the state.
"The PPP does not fulfil the conditions prescribed by the commission in the election symbols (reservation and allotment) order of 1968 to get their symbol. We only followed the rulebook. But since the party president requested for hockey stick and ball from the list of 86 symbols, we have accepted it," state election commissioner Shivender Singh Brar told TOI.
Only recognised parties that have either a representation in the state or country through an MLA or MP, or have secured not less than six per cent votes in the said elections, are given the party symbol.
Manpreet, though, said he had only requested for a common symbol for all his candidates to put up a united fight.
"As long as we are allotted one symbol to represent ourselves, we feel that the fight will be on a level playing field," said Manpreet, who had contested against his sister-in-law and Badal bahu Harsimrat Kaur Badal in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
In the Lok Sabha polls, Manpreet had contested as a joint Congress-PPP candidate on Congress symbol hand after a controversy over his namesake independent candidate was given the kite symbol.
The four-time MLA said this time he did not want to raise any protest and was now content with the commission's decision.
"I have been a sportsperson and represented Punjab in the national games as a basketball player. I was also the basketball captain of my alma mater Doon school. So in a way, it's good to have a sports symbol. We almost beat our opponent last year. Civic polls will further test them," he said.