The Supreme Court on Monday instructed the Election Commission to adjudicate the ownership battle between rival factions of the All India Trinamool Congress over the party name and its traditional “flowers and grass” symbol.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana outlined a precise timetable for resolving the conflict, ordering both camps to complete their written pleadings before the election authority within four weeks. Once the parties conclude their submissions, the poll body must issue a final decision within three months.
Challenge Against Interim Freeze
The apex court delivered the ruling while hearing a legal challenge initiated by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee against the poll panel’s move to suspend the use of the party’s official name and emblem.
Prior to the court’s intervention, the Election Commission had instituted an interim order barring both factions from claiming the All India Trinamool Congress title or its reserved emblem pending a full determination. In that interim directive, issued under the provisions of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order 1968, the regulator allocated separate names and alternative symbols to the two camps after hearing submissions from groups headed by Banerjee and Arup Roy. The commission had stated that the competing claims required substantive adjudication.
Upcoming Assembly Bypolls In West Bengal
The legal timeline coincides with preparations for legislative by-elections in West Bengal. Voting is scheduled for October 6 in the assembly constituencies of Nandigram, located in East Medinipur district, and Rejinagar, situated in Murshidabad district. The counting of votes for both seats is slated for October 9.
