Supreme Court urges Election Commission to resolve TMC symbol dispute

The Supreme Court of India has directed the Election Commission to provide a timeline for resolving the dispute regarding the name and election symbol of the Trinamool Congress (TMC). A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant emphasized that the matter should not be dragged out, noting that delays similar to the Shiv Sena case are unacceptable.

The dispute involves two rival factions of the TMC, with the Election Commission having allocated different names and symbols to each group. Mamata Banerjee has challenged the Commission's order, which restricted the use of the party's traditional name and symbol. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Banerjee, argued that the Commission's decision was made after the election process had already commenced, thereby limiting the options for challenge.

While the legal team for Banerjee stated they are not seeking to halt the current election process, they requested a resolution before the upcoming municipal elections in October. The Court noted that the Election Commission has the legal authority to decide on the resolution and suggested that the Commission could conduct daily hearings if necessary to expedite the process. The next hearing is scheduled for September 28.