- Supreme Court directed Election Commission to resolve TMC dispute.
- Rival factions must complete pleadings within four weeks.
- EC must decide the dispute within three months.
- This order comes ahead of West Bengal bypolls.
The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Election Commission to decide the dispute between two rival factions of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) over the party’s name and its ‘flowers and grass’ election symbol.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana directed the two factions to complete their pleadings before the Election Commission within four weeks.
The poll panel has been asked to decide the dispute within three months after the completion of the pleadings.
The Supreme Court also observed that the present situation cannot continue indefinitely. It said the Election Commission can approach the court if it faces any difficulty in resolving the matter within the stipulated period.
Why Is The TMC Name And Symbol Disputed?
The case relates to a dispute between two rival factions over control of the All India Trinamool Congress and its reserved election symbol.
The Supreme Court passed the order while hearing a plea filed by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee challenging the Election Commission’s decision to freeze the use of the TMC name and its reserved symbol by both groups pending a substantive determination of the dispute.
Following its interim decision, the Election Commission allotted separate names and symbols to the two rival factions.
The two groups are led by Mamata Banerjee and Arup Roy.
EC To Conduct Substantive Determination
The Election Commission had earlier said that the dispute required a substantive determination under the provisions of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
The poll panel’s interim order came after it heard leaders representing both factions over their competing claims to the party’s name and election symbol.
The Supreme Court has now laid down a timeline for the proceedings, with the rival factions getting four weeks to complete their pleadings before the Election Commission.
Once the pleadings are completed, the EC will have three months to decide the dispute.
West Bengal Bypolls Scheduled For October 6
The dispute comes ahead of assembly bypolls scheduled in two West Bengal constituencies.
Polling for the Nandigram seat in East Medinipur district and Rejinagar in Murshidabad district is scheduled for October 6, while counting of votes will take place on October 9.
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