The Election Commission of India, which has rejected the request of the YSR Congress for allotment of a common symbol to its candidates contesting the ensuing Kadapa Lok Sabha and Pulivendula assembly bye polls, informed the party that the common symbol would be allotted only to those political parties which contest a minimum of 10 per cent seats in assembly polls.

Since the YSR Congress party, led by YS Jaganmohan reddy, will contest only for two seats, the Kadapa Lok Sabha and Pulivendula assembly constituencies, it has no chances of getting the common symbol for its candidates.

On March 16, the Supreme Court asked the Election Commission to consider allotment of common symbols to smaller parties which included YSR Congress. Acting on the orders, the commission asked the smaller parties to submit by March 23 a list of seats they would be contesting to ascertain whether they fulfilled the 10 per cent criterion.

Jagan did not respond to the commission on this letter and as a result the commission refused his party a common symbol. His party needed to contest 29 seats to get eligibility to have common symbol.

The commission allotted common symbols to eight registered political parties in various states which had confirmed that they were contesting a minimum number of seats as prescribed by the EC. The YSR Congress will now have to contest on two different symbols now from the Pulivendula assembly and Kadapa Lok Sabha constituencies.