General elections are taking place right now in India. News photos of political rallies where people wave bicycle flags caught my eye.

This is the flag of the Samajwadi Party of Uttar Pradesh. This is the state Socialist party, mostly representing what the Government of India classifies as the “Other Backward Classes,” which are some of the traditionally educationally and socially disadvantaged castes. They are the party of what they call the common man and thus adopted the vehicle of the common man – a bicycle – as its symbol.

Their party leaders campaign from flower festooned limousines and probably clues us into the automotive aspirational desires of their party faithful, but I digress.

And I see now that Bike Hugger mentioned this bicycle flag two years ago.