Supreme Court urges West Bengal Assembly Speaker to decide disqualification petitions within October 8

On Monday, the Supreme Court granted the Election Commission of India four months to resolve the dispute over the name and symbol of the All India Trinamool Congress party. The court made this decision while hearing Mamata Banerjee's petition challenging the Election Commission's interim decision to freeze the party's name and symbol amid internal disagreements.

The court instructed the two factions to submit their responses within four weeks and directed the Election Commission to finalize the decision within three months, effectively setting a four-month timeline to resolve the dispute. On September 18, the Election Commission had ordered the suspension of the party's name and symbol and instructed the factions to choose new designations until the issue was resolved.

Following a similar decision to hold by-polls, both factions, led by Mamata Banerjee and Arup Roy, nominated candidates. Currently, the Banerjee-led faction is contesting elections using a footballer symbol, while the rebel group is using an envelope symbol. The petition filed in court argues that the Election Commission's actions lack a legal foundation and are based on an incorrect and unsupported statement submitted on June 22, 2026, by Ritabrata Banerjee.

The petition claims that the Election Commission's decision to freeze the All India Trinamool Congress' symbol is unlawful and goes against democratic principles enshrined in the Constitution. Additionally, it raises a significant legal question regarding the interim order passed by the Election Commission after announcing the by-elections, which may cause prejudice to the petitioner.

In her affidavit, Banerjee has named the Election Commission and Ritabrata Banerjee, Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, as the parties to be responded to. The Election Commission had earlier granted separate names and symbols to the two rival factions while temporarily prohibiting them from using the 'All India Trinamool Congress' name and its associated symbol pending a substantive resolution of the dispute.

Under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order 1968, the poll body is authorized to make such decisions.