The Indian Secular Front (ISF) has lost the ‘envelope’ election symbol it had been using since 2021 for the upcoming Nandigram Assembly bypoll, after the Election Commission allotted the symbol to the Ritabrata Banerjee-led Democratic Trinamool Congress (DTC). ISF MLA and party chairman Nawsad Siddique has objected to the decision and warned that the party will challenge it in court.
The dispute comes after the poll panel froze the All India Trinamool Congress name and its ‘Flowers and Grass’ symbol amid an internal dispute, subsequently allotting separate identities and symbols to rival factions. The DTC has defended its allocation, saying the envelope was a free symbol and that it had selected it through the prescribed process.
Why Nawsad Siddique Is Challenging The Decision
The envelope symbol has been closely associated with the ISF in West Bengal. The party used it during the 2021, 2024 and 2026 elections, while its candidates in Nandigram and elsewhere built campaign material around the emblem. According to The Telegraph, the ISF had received the symbol under Para 10B of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, which provides concessions to unrecognised political parties to use a common symbol.
Following the Election Commission’s latest decision, Nawsad Siddique said the party had already submitted its nomination and relevant information to the poll panel. “We have submitted nominations, and everything was quite clear to the EC,” he said, questioning how the same symbol could subsequently be allotted to another party. Siddique also alleged that the decision formed part of a broader pattern aimed at weakening the Opposition, a claim that represents the ISF’s political interpretation and has not been established as fact. He said the party would challenge the decision before the court.
Nawsad Siddique Questions EC’s Decision
For Nawsad Siddique, the dispute over the envelope symbol is also part of a larger political question about the space available to Opposition parties in West Bengal. After the Election Commission allotted the symbol to Ritabrata Banerjee’s Democratic Trinamool Congress, Siddique alleged that there was a “clear plan to weaken the Opposition wherever they have a strong presence” and claimed that a “specific pattern” was being followed by the poll panel.
He questioned how the symbol could be reassigned after the ISF had submitted its nomination and other details to the Commission. Siddique said the ISF would challenge the decision in court. These claims represent Siddique’s political interpretation and have not been independently established.
Siddique’s position is also significant because the ISF has opposed the Election Commission’s wider handling of the Trinamool Congress symbol dispute, despite being a political rival of the TMC. The Commission on September 18 froze the original TMC name and ‘Flowers and Grass’ symbol and assigned separate identities and symbols to the two factions.
The Mamata Banerjee-led faction received the name ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ and the Football Player symbol, while Ritabrata Banerjee’s faction was recognised as the Democratic Trinamool Congress and allotted the Envelope symbol. Mamata Banerjee has separately said she would challenge the decision politically, democratically and legally.
The development therefore places Siddique in an unusual political position: while the ISF remains a competitor to both TMC factions, his objection centres on what he says should be consistent electoral rules and protection of political competition. At the same time, Ritabrata Banerjee has rejected the ISF’s objection, saying the envelope is not the exclusive symbol of any party and that his faction had selected it from the Election Commission’s available options.
Why EC Allotted The Symbol To Ritabrata’s Camp
The immediate dispute is linked to the larger conflict within the Trinamool Congress. On 18 September, the Election Commission froze the use of the original All India Trinamool Congress name and its ‘Flowers and Grass’ symbol for the bypolls. It subsequently allotted the Mamata Banerjee-led faction the name ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ and the ‘Football Player’ symbol, while the rival faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee was given the name Democratic Trinamool Congress and the ‘Envelope’ symbol.
The DTC had reportedly submitted the envelope as its first choice from the list of free symbols, followed by the battery torch and pencil box. Ritabrata Banerjee defended the allocation, saying the envelope was not the exclusive symbol of any party and that his group had requested it and received it from the Election Commission. The ISF, however, argues that its long association with the symbol could create confusion among voters, particularly in Nandigram where its candidate Mohammed Sabe Miraj Ali Khan has already filed his nomination. The candidate has also raised the issue with the returning officer and indicated that legal action could follow.
The Larger Question Of Voter Clarity
The dispute has emerged just weeks before the 6 October 2026 Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls. The Election Commission’s decision means the ISF must select another symbol from the available list, even though its campaign materials for Nandigram had reportedly already been prepared using the envelope. The Telegraph reported that ISF leaders said changing the symbol at this stage would require the party to restart significant parts of its campaign communication.
Former Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Debasish Kargupta said that if a complaint reaches the Election Commission and there is evidence of voter confusion, the matter could potentially be reconsidered and may ultimately reach the courts. Meanwhile, the wider TMC symbol dispute is itself facing a legal challenge, with Mamata Banerjee moving the Supreme Court against the Commission’s decision to freeze the original party identity and symbol.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Election symbols can carry considerable significance in a country where they help voters identify candidates and political parties, particularly during closely contested elections. At the same time, disputes over symbols should be addressed through transparent electoral procedures and lawful avenues rather than escalating political tensions.
Nawsad Siddique’s decision to seek legal remedy provides an institutional route for the ISF to contest the Commission’s decision, while the Election Commission’s responsibility remains ensuring that its rules are applied consistently and that voters are not left confused. As the matter moves towards a possible legal battle, how can political parties and election authorities ensure that disputes over symbols do not come at the cost of voter clarity and confidence?
Also Read: US President Trump Signs Russia Sanctions Bill, India Among Countries Facing 100% Tariff Risk
