Communist Nation Party-India moves HC over ECI’s rejection of names

The party alleged that the disapproval came on the grounds that the names resemble the names of other political parties which are already registered or are under consideration for registration.

MUMBAI: The president of the Communist Nation Party-India (CNP) filed a writ petition in the Bombay high court on Tuesday, challenging the decision of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to disapprove three alternative names proposed by the party, and for granting of a provisional registration certificate and an election symbol to allow it to contest elections in Maharashtra.

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The party alleged that the disapproval came on the grounds that the names resemble the names of other political parties which are already registered or are under consideration for registration.

The president, advocate Asif Ali Siddiquie, alleged that the application had been pending before ECI since July 2, 2024, because of indecision, due to which, the party could not participate in the assembly election of Jharkhand, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra and other parliamentary elections.

Citing legal principles, he claimed that to be registered, a party is only required to be checked for monetary contribution and a common election symbol under the Election Symbol Order, 1968. “In the true essence of democracy, the party needs to be registered,” he added.

He stated that after the announcement of the bye-elections in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, his party approached the ECI on March 10, 2025, for allotment of a common symbol to contest the seats.

In the latest petition, he has requested the high court to issue directions to the ECI to allot a common symbol to the party, enabling its registration. “Granting interim relief would cause no harm to the Election Commission or other political entities, whereas denial would result in irreparable damage to the petitioning party,” he said.