Supreme Court Sets Deadline for EC Verdict on TMC Name and Symbol Row
Supreme Court directs the Election Commission to resolve the TMC name and symbol dispute within three months after pleadings close.
The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Election Commission to settle the dispute between the two rival factions of the All India Trinamool Congress over the party's name and its "flowers and grass" election symbol.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana asked both factions to complete their pleadings before the poll panel within four weeks. The Commission has been given three months from the completion of pleadings to decide the matter.
The order came on a plea filed by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, challenging the Election Commission's decision to freeze the party's name and symbol.
The poll panel had earlier issued an interim order barring both groups from using the All India Trinamool Congress name and its reserved symbol, and allotted separate names and symbols to each faction pending a final determination. The Commission said the dispute required substantive determination under the provisions of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, after hearing leaders of the two factions led by Ms. Banerjee and Arup Roy.
The dispute has unfolded alongside byelections to Nandigram in East Medinipur district and Rejinagar in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, scheduled for October 6, 2026, with counting of votes on October 9, 2026.