OCTOBER 19, 2024 — The flag of the newly formed Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party in Tamil Nadu has sparked a political controversy with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), according to the News Minute.
TVK’s flag, unveiled on August 22, features red and yellow stripes with a central Vaagai flower (Albizia Julibrissin), a symbol of victory in the Sangam period. The issue lies in the depiction of two elephants flanking the flower, which the BSP claims infringes on their reserved symbol—an elephant—allocated to them by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The Tamil Nadu BSP unit has demanded that the TVK remove the elephants from the flag within five days, warning of potential legal action if this is not done. BSP’s advocate wing vice-president, S Sandeep, emphasized that TVK would need to choose a free symbol from the list provided by the ECI.
In response, the ECI clarified that it does not have the authority to regulate party flags but confirmed that TVK would be assigned a free symbol for election purposes, reports DT Next.
TVK is a newly established party founded by actor Vijay, with its headquarters located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Image: Kalpanasundar, CC BY-SA 4.0