The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday dismissed a legal challenge brought by the Indian Secular Front against the Election Commission’s reallocation of the envelope voting symbol to the newly created Democratic Trinamool Congress.
Justice Krishna Rao turned down the petition filed by the Nawsad Siddiqui-led organization, which had asked the judiciary to order a freeze on the envelope symbol after the poll authority reassigned it to the DTC over the ISF’s formal objections. In its plea, the party had questioned whether the poll panel’s actions represented a reasonable exercise of its administrative powers.
Background of the Symbol Dispute
The Indian Secular Front had run candidates under the envelope insignia during both the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the 2026 assembly polls. In its recent symbol allotments, however, the Election Commission assigned the almirah symbol to the ISF instead of the envelope.
Poll Body Cites Rules for Unrecognised Parties
During proceedings before the bench, counsel representing the Election Commission stated that the envelope symbol had been granted to the ISF for use in only two elections.
The commission argued that because the ISF is classified as a registered but unrecognised political party, it has no legal right to retain a reserved symbol, unlike recognized political organizations such as the Bharatiya Janata Party or the Congress.
