Kolkata, Sep 19 (IANS) The All-India Secular Front (AISF) is considering moving court against the Election Commission of India (ECI) for allotting its registered election symbol, the “envelope”, to the Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel faction of the Trinamool Congress, which had also been allotted the new name of “Democratic Trinamool Congress”.
Nawsad Siddique, the sole AISF representative in the West Bengal Assembly, said the “envelope” symbol had already been allotted to his party. He contested the Bhangar Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district with the symbol in both the 2021 and 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.
“We renewed the envelope symbol on March 10, 2026. We indeed chose our own from among the ‘free symbols,’ and the ECI approved it. We have been fighting with this symbol since the 2021 West Bengal assembly polls. My question is, in such a situation, why was the same symbol allotted to any other political party? I feel that a conspiracy was going on to weaken our party. I want to tell the Bharatiya Janata Party that the way they are constantly using the ECI to weaken the Opposition will not be ultimately good for them,” Siddique alleged.
Siddique said the AISF had already sent a communication to the ECI raising objections to the allotment of the “Envelope” symbol to the Ritabrata-led faction. He added that the party would approach the court if necessary.
The ECI on Friday allotted the “envelope” symbol and the name “Democratic Trinamool Congress” to the Ritabrata-led faction.
The rival faction led by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was allotted the name “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” and the “football player” symbol. The fresh identities will apply to the upcoming bypolls in the state.
The allotments of new names and new symbols to both the factions followed the ECI’s decision on Thursday to freeze the original name of “All India Trinamool Congress” and the original symbol of “flowers & grass”.
Founded in 1998 after Mamata Banerjee’s split from the Congress, the Trinamool Congress has fought all elections since its inception under the name All India Trinamool Congress and the “flowers & grass” symbol. The party came to power in West Bengal in 2011 and has remained the state’s ruling force since then.
With the latest ECI order, West Bengal is set to witness its first election since 1998 without the original Trinamool name and symbol on the ballot.
–IANS
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