Election Commission Freezes Trinamool Congress Name and Symbol, Rival Factions Told to Choose New Identities for Bengal Bypolls
The Election Commission of India has barred rival factions of the All India Trinamool Congress from using the party’s name and its traditional “Flowers and Grass” election symbol in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly bypolls. The interim order comes amid a continuing organisational dispute between the Mamata Banerjee-led camp and the rival faction challenging its control over the party.
The Commission said that, based on the material before it, there are two rival groups each claiming to represent the All India Trinamool Congress. Since both sides are asserting their right to the party’s identity, the poll panel said the dispute requires a substantive determination under Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
As an interim measure, neither faction will be allowed to use the name “All India Trinamool Congress” or the reserved “Flowers and Grass” symbol for the current bypoll process. The Commission said the arrangement is intended to place the two rival groups on an even footing while the larger dispute remains pending.
Both factions have been directed to submit three preferred names and three free election symbols to the Election Commission. The deadline set by the poll panel is 11 a.m. on September 18, after which the Commission will approve names and allot symbols for the candidates contesting the bypolls.
The immediate political impact will be felt in the October 6 Assembly bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar. The two rival camps had been preparing to contest while claiming the established Trinamool identity, making the question of the party symbol particularly significant for the electoral process.
The dispute has developed into a broader contest over organisational control, including questions surrounding the authority and tenure of the party’s national working committee. Reports say the rival camp has challenged appointments made by the existing leadership, while the Mamata Banerjee faction has argued that the committee continues to have a five-year tenure extending into 2027.
The Election Commission’s latest order does not constitute a final decision on which faction is legally entitled to the Trinamool Congress name and its established election symbol. The panel has expressly kept the substantive determination under the Election Symbols Order pending.
The decision therefore creates an unusual electoral situation in which both sides will have to campaign under separately approved identities for the bypolls, while the central question of ownership of the Trinamool Congress name and “Flowers and Grass” symbol remains before the Election Commission. The final determination could have consequences extending beyond the two immediate bypolls.
