HIGH COURT LEAVES ISF WITH ALMIRAH SYMBOL AS POLL PROCESS MOVES AHEAD

September 30, 2026

The Calcutta High Court has declined to grant relief to the Indian Secular Front (ISF) over the Election Commission’s decision to allot the party’s previously used envelope symbol to the Democratic Trinamool Congress ahead of the West Bengal Assembly bypolls.

The dispute concerns the October 6 by-elections in Nandigram and Rejinagar. The ISF had sought the envelope symbol, which it had used during the 2026 Assembly election, but the Election Commission instead allotted it the almirah symbol for the upcoming contest.

The ISF challenged the decision, arguing that the reassignment of the envelope symbol could create confusion among voters and questioning the manner in which the Election Commission dealt with its request for the symbol.

The Election Commission maintained that the envelope was a free symbol and that the ISF did not have an exclusive or permanent claim over it. The poll panel also argued that the conclusion of the general election had ended the ISF's earlier allotment of the symbol.

The court had questioned aspects of the Election Commission’s handling of the matter during the proceedings, including why the ISF’s request had not been considered before the symbol was allotted to another party. The poll panel, however, defended its authority to distribute free symbols in accordance with the applicable election rules.

With the court declining the ISF’s challenge, the party will contest the Nandigram bypoll with the almirah symbol. The decision comes after the completion of key stages of the electoral process, including nominations, scrutiny and withdrawal.

The development settles the immediate symbol dispute for the upcoming bypolls, while the wider political contest in Nandigram and Rejinagar proceeds towards polling on October 6.