SUPREME COURT SETS THREE-MONTH DEADLINE FOR EC TO RESOLVE TMC NAME AND SYMBOL DISPUTE

September 28, 2026

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to decide the dispute between rival factions of the Trinamool Congress over the party’s name and its reserved “Flowers and Grass” election symbol within three months.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana directed both factions to complete their pleadings and submit the necessary evidence and documents before the poll panel within four weeks. The three-month period for the ECI’s decision will begin after the completion of the pleadings.

The court passed the directions while hearing a plea by Mamata Banerjee challenging the ECI’s interim decision to freeze the original TMC name and symbol amid competing claims over control of the party. The poll panel had sought six months to complete the proceedings, citing the volume of evidence, but the court declined the request.

For the upcoming West Bengal bypolls, the ECI has provisionally allotted separate names and symbols to the two factions. The Banerjee-led group has been allotted the name “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” and the “Football Player” symbol, while the rival group has been allotted “Democratic Trinamool Congress” and the “Envelope” symbol.

The Supreme Court’s order establishes a defined timetable for the ECI’s substantive determination of the factional dispute under the Election Symbols framework.