What is a party symbol?

Every political party in India has a symbol, which enables voters to easily identify the party on the ballot. For example, the BJP's symbol is the lotus and the Congress's symbol is the hand. Party symbols are especially important to aid voters who cannot read. But candidates also go to great lengths to be identified with their election symbols. The Election Commission stipulates that no symbol should represent a religion or a caste. A party can submit a symbol of its choice to the EC for consideration. Else, the EC allots a symbol to the party. Though the elephant is the symbol of the BSP and the lion is the symbol of the Forward Bloc, the EC in 1991 stopped allowing parties to use animals as symbols after complaints from animal rights activists.

Source: The Hindu,9/04/2019