Trinamool Congress founder and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday sought urgent listing before the Supreme Court of her challenge to the Election Commission of India’s interim decision to freeze the party’s name and its reserved ‘Flowers & Grass’ election symbol.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal mentioned the matter before a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, questioning the poll panel’s decision to suspend the use of the party’s established identity while proceedings concerning rival claims to the organisation remain pending. Sibal urged the Court to take up the matter on an urgent basis.
The Chief Justice observed that the rival side would also have an opportunity to present its case and indicated that the plea would be listed for hearing.
Banerjee approached the Supreme Court on September 18, challenging the ECI’s interim order restraining both factions from using the name ‘All India Trinamool Congress’ and the reserved ‘Flowers & Grass’ symbol for the forthcoming West Bengal Assembly bypolls. The Commission has undertaken the interim arrangement pending a substantive determination of the competing claims under Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
Following the ECI’s directions, the two factions were allotted alternative identities for the October 6 bypolls. The faction led by Banerjee was assigned the name ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ along with the ‘Football Player’ symbol, while the rival faction was allotted ‘Democratic Trinamool Congress’ and the ‘Envelope’ symbol. The Commission’s arrangement is interim in nature and does not constitute a final determination of entitlement to the original party name or symbol.
Banerjee’s petition seeks judicial intervention against the freezing of the party’s established name and election symbol, with the dispute over the rival claims remaining pending before the poll panel. The matter assumes significance ahead of the October 6 bypolls in West Bengal.
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