No pressure behind inclusion of ‘Shapla Koli’ symbol: EC Secretary

Election Commission Secretary Akhtar Ahmed has said that the inclusion of the new symbol ‘Shapla Koli’ was made independently by the commission, not under any pressure.

Speaking to reporters after an inter-ministerial meeting on Thursday (October 30), he said Shapla and Shapla Koli are different symbols.

He explained that the EC revised the list amid criticism, dropping 16 symbols and updating the total to 119. “The commission thought Shapla Koli could be added; it wasn’t based on anyone’s demand. If necessary, the list may be revised again,” he said.