West Bengal court clears Democratic TMC for bypolls with envelope symbol

The Calcutta High Court on Friday rejected a petition that sought to block the Democratic Trinamool Congress (Democratic TMC) from participating in the scheduled bypolls, clearing the way for the party to proceed with its campaign. The court's decision allows the faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee to contest the elections with the 'envelope' symbol, which was allocated to it by the Election Commission of India. The bypolls are scheduled to take place on October 6. The Democratic TMC emerged as a breakaway faction from the ruling Trinamool Congress, establishing itself as a separate political entity in West Bengal. The allocation of the envelope symbol marks an important milestone for the faction as it seeks to establish its presence in the state's electoral landscape. With the legal hurdle cleared, the Democratic TMC can now focus its efforts on campaigning across its candidate constituencies ahead of the scheduled polling date.