AISF moves Calcutta HC over ECI's 'Envelope' symbol allotment to Democratic Trinamool
Synopsis
AISF's Nawsad Siddique — twice elected from Bhangar on the 'Envelope' symbol — has dragged the Election Commission to the Calcutta High Court after the ECI handed that very symbol to the freshly minted Democratic Trinamool Congress. With West Bengal bypolls just weeks away, the dispute over a symbol could reshape voter recognition on the ground.
Key Takeaways
AISF approached the Calcutta High Court on 21 September 2026 challenging the ECI 's decision to allot the 'Envelope' symbol to Democratic Trinamool Congress .
Nawsad Siddique , AISF's sole West Bengal MLA, won the Bhangar seat in both 2021 and 2026 using the 'Envelope' symbol.
The ECI has now assigned AISF the 'Almirah' symbol instead.
The Ritabrata Banerjee-led breakaway faction was formally recognised as Democratic Trinamool Congress and given the disputed symbol just days before the legal challenge.
AISF is contesting the Nandigram bypoll and AJUP the Rejinagar bypoll; both polls are scheduled for 6 October 2026 , with results on 9 October 2026 .
The All India Secular Front (AISF), whose lone West Bengal Assembly representative is Nawsad Siddique, on Monday, 21 September 2026, approached the Calcutta High Court challenging the Election Commission of India (ECI)'s decision to allot the 'Envelope' symbol to the Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction of Trinamool Congress, now formally recognised as Democratic Trinamool Congress.
Background to the Dispute
The ECI last week granted the Ritabrata Banerjee-led breakaway — described as a 'rebel but majority' faction within Trinamool — both a new party name, Democratic Trinamool Congress, and the 'Envelope' election symbol. In its place, the Commission allotted AISF the 'Almirah' symbol, a change the party has strongly contested.
The decision drew immediate objections from Siddique, who has contested and won twice from the Bhangar Assembly Constituency in South 24 Parganas district — in 2021 and again in 2026 — using precisely the 'Envelope' symbol. AISF itself was founded in 2021 and has used the symbol since its formation.
What Siddique Argued in Court
Appearing before a single-judge bench of Justice Krishna Rao at the Calcutta High Court on Monday afternoon, Siddique challenged the ECI's symbol order directly. He had already sent a formal letter to the Commission last week raising AISF's objections before deciding to pursue the matter legally.
Siddique told reporters: 'AISF has been contesting with the 'Envelope' symbol since 2021, the year the party was formed. Even I got elected twice in 2021 and 2026 with that symbol. In that case, how can the same symbol be allotted to the Democratic Trinamool Congress, which was formed just a couple of days back?'
Another West Bengal Party Affected
The AISF is not the only West Bengal party to have its symbol changed following the ECI's recent order. The Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP), founded by Humayun Kabir, was reassigned the symbol 'Table', replacing its earlier 'Whistle' symbol — the one with which Kabir had simultaneously contested and won from both Naoda and Rejinagar assembly constituencies in Murshidabad district earlier this year. Notably, Kabir chose not to raise any formal objection to the symbol change.
Stakes: October Bypolls Around the Corner
The timing of the legal challenge is significant. AISF is set to contest the bypoll from Nandigram in East Midnapore district, while AJUP is contesting the Rejinagar bypoll — both constituencies going to the polls on 6 October 2026, with results due on 9 October 2026. A late symbol change, critics argue, risks confusing voters who have associated a party with a particular symbol across multiple election cycles. The Calcutta High Court's ruling could have direct implications for how both parties campaign in the weeks ahead.
Point of View
A last-minute change weeks before a bypoll is not a procedural technicality; it is a material disruption. The Commission's approach to party splits in West Bengal has drawn repeated scrutiny, and this case adds another data point. How Justice Krishna Rao rules could set a precedent for how election symbols are contested when a newer entity is prioritised over an older claimant.
NationPress
21 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why has AISF approached the Calcutta High Court?
AISF has challenged the ECI's decision to allot the 'Envelope' symbol — which the party has used since its formation in 2021 — to the newly formed Democratic Trinamool Congress. The petition was filed before Justice Krishna Rao's bench on 21 September 2026, arguing that reassigning the symbol undermines voter recognition built over two election cycles.
Who is Nawsad Siddique and why does he matter in this case?
Nawsad Siddique is AISF's only representative in the West Bengal Assembly, having won the Bhangar constituency in both 2021 and 2026 under the 'Envelope' symbol. He is the petitioner in the Calcutta High Court case and was the first to publicly raise objections after the ECI's order.
What did the ECI decide that sparked the controversy?
The ECI last week formally recognised the Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction of Trinamool Congress as 'Democratic Trinamool Congress' and assigned it the 'Envelope' symbol. AISF was simultaneously allotted the 'Almirah' symbol as a replacement — a change the party has refused to accept.
How do the upcoming bypolls factor into this dispute?
AISF is contesting the Nandigram bypoll in East Midnapore, while AJUP is contesting the Rejinagar bypoll in Murshidabad; both are scheduled for 6 October 2026. A court ruling that alters or restores symbol allotments could directly affect how candidates campaign and how voters identify them on the ballot.
Did any other West Bengal party object to its symbol change?
The Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP), founded by Humayun Kabir, was also reassigned a new symbol — 'Table' in place of 'Whistle' — but Kabir did not raise any formal objection, unlike AISF's Nawsad Siddique who pursued the matter both through a formal letter to the ECI and now via the courts.
