The Election Commission has amended the list of symbols to be assigned to independent presidential candidates, leaving out ones that can cause embarrassment and offend religious sensitivities, an official said .  

The symbols of the registered political parties are meant to be used by their candidates in canvassing votes. However, the symbols available in the list determined by the Commission and announced in the gazette notification are assigned to independent candidates based on their preferences .  

A top official of the Commission told Daily Mirror that the symbols such as pig and dog had been removed from the list.   “These are symbols that can cause embarrassment to candidates. Also they can offend religious sensitivities of some communities,” he said .