Ever since Chief Justice of India Surya Kant remarked during a hearing last month that a section of unemployed youth had become “cockroaches”, the image of the insect has come to be appropriated by those protesting against the statement as well as the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).CJP is not a political party but a “youth pressure group”, according to its founder Abhijeet Dipke. Dipke has not ruled out applying for registration as a political party with the Election Commission (EC) in the future, but for now, the group has an online presence and held its first protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on June 6.If the CJP were to register as a party and apply for the cockroach as its election symbol, the EC is unlikely to allot it. Here’s what the EC’s rules say and what election symbols are available to new parties.What the rules sayThe EC allots election symbols to parties and independent candidates as per the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968. According to the Symbols Order, the recognised national and state parties’ candidates are allotted the reserved symbol of their respective parties — for instance, the lotus for the BJP, or the raised hand for the Congress.Also read | With Jantar Mantar protest, it’s clear Cockroach Janta Party is not the next Anna MovementFor unrecognised parties, which are registered parties that have not met the electoral performance criteria for the national or state party tag, or independent candidates, the EC allots symbols from a list of “free symbols”. These candidates and unrecognised parties can request for their choice of symbol from the list, but they are not assured of getting the same. What kinds of symbols are allowedIn the list of free symbols, which the EC revises from time to time, images include fruits, vegetables, household appliances, farm equipment, sports equipment, etc. The latest list, which was published by the EC on May 23, 2025, has 184 symbols, including air-conditioner, balloon, door bell, dustbin, frying pan, jackfruit, and grapes.Some household items such as immersion rod, latch, mixer, toothbrush, and TV remote are also on the list. A variety of fruits and vegetables as well as other food, including cake and toffees, are also on the list. Story continues below this adFollowing representations from animal welfare activists in the 1990s, the Election Commission stopped allotting animals as election symbols. NewsletterFollow our daily newsletter so you never miss anything important. On Wednesday, we answer readers' questions.SubscribeFormer Union Minister and founder of People for Animals (PFA) Maneka Gandhi wrote in a post on the PFA website that for the 1989 Tamil Nadu Assembly election, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam faction led by J Jayalalithaa was allotted the rooster as its election symbol. “During the state election thousands of birds were tied to the top of fast moving vehicles. Their legs broke and there were dead bodies of cocks strewn all over Tamil Nadu every evening. I prevailed upon the EC to have a deeper look at animals used as symbols, and he promptly banned as many as he thought fit,” she wrote.The Bahujan Samaj Party, which was formed prior to the ban, still retains its election symbol, the elephant, making it one of the few exceptions.With the EC’s prevailing stand against allotting animals as election symbols, the cockroach symbol is unlikely to be granted if anyone seeks the same, EC officials said.