Cal HC dismisses ISF plea, Democratic TMC to contest bypoll with envelope symbol

The Calcutta high court on Wednesday dismissed the Indian Secular Front’s (ISF) petition challenging the Election Commission’s allotment of the “envelope” symbol to the Ritabrata Banerjee-led Democratic Trinamool Congress (DTMC) for the Nandigram Assembly by-election in West Bengal.

DTMC will now contest the by-polls with the “envelope” symbol on October 6. The ISF will have to contest with the “almirah” symbol.

“A bench of Justice Krishna Rao dismissed the petition filed by the ISF challenging the allotment of the ‘envelope’ symbol to the DTMC,” said a senior lawyer present in the courtroom.

In its petition, the ISF had said that the “envelop” symbol was allotted to the party in March this year before the assembly elections. For the upcoming by-polls, however, the poll body allotted the envelope symbol to the DTMC. The ISF was allotted the “almirah” symbol.

The ECI’s counsel had told the court that both were free symbols which are allotted to Registered Unrecognised Political Parties for a specific election.

The byelection in Nandigram was necessitated after West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, who won Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the May assembly polls, decided to retain the second seat.

The ECI has announced bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar on October 6. Results will be declared on October 9. The campaigning will conclude on October 4.

This comes days after the same bench of the Calcutta high court criticised the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the case, observing that authorities should act in a way to avoid complications so that the court isn’t burdened.

“Once the election started, you are creating all the trouble and the political parties are coming to the court, while putting burden upon the court. You have 183 free symbols. Why are you allotting the ‘envelope’ symbol, which was disputed? Are the authorities here only to pinch the persons and create legal proceedings? Is this the way the authorities work?” the bench had observed on September 24.

“Every time, for one or the other reason, you are compelling the people to come to the court. If there were 183 free symbols, why have you chosen the envelope symbol? The authorities should act impartially and fairly. Just four months ago it was allotted to one party. You have 183 free symbols. I am very fed up with regard to the authorities of this state now. Once the election starts every play starts,” the bench had observed last week during the hearing.