States » EastPosted at: Sep 30 2026 8:56PM


Calcutta HC dismisses ISF plea over ‘envelope’ symbol for Bengal bypolls

Kolkata, Sep 30 (UNI) The Calcutta High Court has dismissed the Indian Secular Front’s (ISF) petition challenging the Election Commission’s decision to allot its earlier ‘envelope’ symbol to the Ritabrata Banerjee-led Democratic Trinamool Congress (DTC) on Wednesday.
The court observed that it would not interfere in the electoral process once it had commenced.

Justice Krishna Rao dismissed the plea filed by ISF MLA Naushad Siddiqui, who had approached the High Court on September 21 seeking restoration of the ‘envelope’ symbol for his party.

The ISF has instead been allotted the ‘almirah’ symbol for the October 6 bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar.

The ‘envelope’ symbol had been used by the ISF in the 2021 and 2026 Assembly elections.

The Election Commission subsequently allotted it to the DTC, led by Ritabrata Banerjee, while assigning the ‘almirah’ symbol to the ISF.

The dispute assumed significance as the ISF is contesting the Nandigram bypoll, where the DTC will also be in the fray.

The party had argued that allotting its previously used symbol to another contestant could create confusion among voters.

Earlier on Monday, during the hearing, Justice Rao had questioned the Election Commission over the manner in which the symbol was reassigned.

The court had sought to know why the Commission allotted the symbol to another party when the ISF had also sought it.

The judge had also questioned the role of the DTC in seeking a symbol that had previously been used by the ISF.

The DTC’s lawyer, Bishwaroop Bhattacharya, had submitted that the party had presented a list of three preferred symbols and that the Commission had selected the ‘envelope’ from that list.

Appearing for the Election Commission, lawyer Jishnu Chowdhury argued that a free election symbol did not constitute the property of any political party. He submitted that allocation of a symbol for one election did not create a permanent right over it and that a by-election constituted a separate electoral process.

The Commission maintained that it had the authority to allot free symbols and that the ISF, being a registered but unrecognised political party, could not claim an exclusive right over the ‘envelope’ symbol.

Consequently, the ISF will contest the October 6 bypolls with the ‘almirah’ symbol, while the DTC will retain the ‘envelope’ symbol.
UNI SAG MCR
Tags: #Calcutta HC dismisses ISF plea over ‘envelope’ symbol for Bengal bypolls
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