The Election Commission of India (ECI) has allotted separate names and election symbols to the two rival factions of the Trinamool Congress ahead of the October 6 Assembly bypolls in West Bengal. The decision follows an interim order freezing the use of the party’s existing name, All India Trinamool Congress, and its traditional Jora Ghash Phul (two flowers and grass) symbol.
The faction led by Mamata Banerjee has been allotted the name Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and the Football Player symbol. The rival group led by Arup Roy, associated with the Ritabrata Banerjee camp, has been given the name Democratic Trinamool Congress and the Envelope symbol. The ECI has said both groups will be treated as recognised political parties in West Bengal, Meghalaya and Tripura for this interim arrangement.
The change comes amid a dispute over the organisational control and political identity of the Trinamool Congress. On Thursday, the ECI directed both factions not to use the original party name or its reserved symbol in the upcoming bypolls. The groups were subsequently asked to submit three preferred names and symbols from the available options.
The Election Commission described the arrangement as an interim measure while the larger dispute over the party’s organisational control remains pending. The commission said the limited time before the bypolls made it necessary to provide both sides with separate identities for the electoral process. The New Indian Express
The upcoming bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar are scheduled for October 6, with counting set for October 9. The rival factions will therefore enter the contests using their newly allotted names and symbols rather than the traditional TMC identity.
The dispute marks a significant change for a party whose traditional Jora Ghash Phul symbol has been associated with its electoral identity for decades. The ECI’s latest order, however, does not constitute a final determination on which faction controls the original party; the substantive dispute is still to be resolved by the commission.
