The Calcutta High Court on Monday reserved its order on the ISF’s plea challenging the EC’s allotment of its ‘Envelope’ symbol to the Ritabrata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress-Democratic for the Nandigram by-poll.

Justice Krishna Rao questioned the EC’s decision-making and asked where the reasons were for preferring TMC-D’s claim. The court said the parties’ conduct appeared to reveal “connivance.”

The ISF used the ‘envelope’ symbol in the 2024 Lok Sabha and 2026 West Bengal elections. The EC allotted it to the Democratic Trinamool Congress despite an earlier ISF application, giving the ISF the ‘almirah’ symbol instead.

The ISF called the allotment “absolutely illegal”; the EC said it was within its discretion. The row stems from a Trinamool split in which the EC froze the party name and ‘Flowers and Grass’ symbol, allotting the ‘Football Player’ to the Mamata faction and the ‘Envelope’ to the Ritabrata faction.

The reserved order will decide which symbol the new Democratic Trinamool Congress carries into the October 6 by-poll.