The Election Commission has allotted separate names and election symbols to the two rival Trinamool Congress factions led by TMC founder and former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and present leader of the opposition (LoP) in the Bengal assembly, Ritabrata Banerjee.
Election Commission’s order for TMC factions
The Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction has been allotted the name ‘Democratic Trinamool Congress’ and the ‘envelope’ as its election symbol. Meanwhile, the Mamata Banerjee-led faction has been allotted the name ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ and the ‘football player’ as its election symbol. Earlier reporting noted: Mamata-led TMC faction pitches cricket bat, footballer as symbols, 3 party names amid EC freeze Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faction on Friday pitched cricket bat, footballer without football as symbols and 3 party names after the Election Commission barred both the two factions of the All India Trinamool Congress from using the party name and symbol for the October 6 bypolls in West Bengal’s Nandigram and Rejinagar assembly seats and Assam’s Nagaon parliamentary seat.
The poll body said the temporary arrangement was intended to keep “both the rival groups on even keel and to protect their rights and interests” until it issues its final ruling. Earlier reporting noted: The commission said the interim measure was issued to place “both the rival groups on even keel and to protect their rights and interests” until a final decision is reached. Earlier reporting noted: Huge blow to Mamata Banerjee: ECI freezes TMC name and symbol, asks both factions to pick new names The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday ordered the freezing of the “name” and “symbol” of the Trinamool Congress as a political party for the time being, affecting both factions of the party.
Rahul Gandhi slams BJP, EC
Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi criticised the ECI’s decision, alleging that the BJP and the poll panel were collaborating to undermine opposition parties. Gandhi alleged that the BJP and the ECI had used a similar approach in disputes concerning the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and, most recently, the Trinamool Congress. “First Shiv Sena, then NCP, and now Trinamool Congress. Every time, the same pattern—BJP and the Election Commission join forces to split a party. Then its election symbol is snatched away. When an entire party can be stolen, it’s hardly surprising that the votes of millions of Indians can be stolen too. Vote theft. Government theft. The Congress leader also alleged that the ECI was neglecting its constitutional duty to safeguard voters and was assisting the BJP in reversing election outcomes.
He described the development as “party theft” and linked it to what he called India’s continuing democratic decline. Now party theft—these have become symbols of our democratic decline,” he said in a post on X.
