The Election Commission has barred both rival factions of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) from using the party’s name and its reserved ‘Flowers & Grass’ election symbol in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly bypolls.
The interim order, issued on September 17, comes amid a widening dispute over control of the Trinamool Congress, its organisational structure and its election identity. The Commission said the material placed before it showed that two rival groups were claiming to represent the party — one led by Mamata Banerjee and the other by Arup Roy.
The decision means neither faction can contest the current bypolls using the name ‘All India Trinamool Congress’ or the party’s traditional ‘Flowers & Grass’ symbol. Instead, both groups will have to contest under separate names and symbols allotted by the poll panel.
The Election Commission has asked each faction to submit three preferred names and three choices of free symbols. The deadline was 11 am on September 18. The groups can choose names that indicate their connection with the parent party, but neither can use the AITC name in its existing form.
The latest development came shortly after the poll panel heard both sides of the dispute. The Commission said the matter requires a substantive determination under Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968. The interim arrangement will remain in place for the current bypolls while the larger dispute is considered.
The poll body said its immediate objective was to keep both rival groups on an equal footing and protect their respective rights and interests until a final decision is taken.
The dispute centres on competing claims over the Trinamool Congress’ organisational authority. The rival camp has challenged the continuation and authority of the party’s National Working Committee, arguing that its tenure had ended and that subsequent organisational decisions were therefore not valid.
According to the rival faction’s claim, a Special Session was held in Kolkata on June 22, where Arup Roy was elected chairperson of the National Working Committee. The Mamata Banerjee-led faction has rejected the process and questioned the validity of the meeting and the elections held during it.
Both sides subsequently approached the Election Commission with documents supporting their respective claims. The poll panel examined issues including organisational control, authorised signatories, party assets, the party name and the election symbol.
The timing of the dispute has added urgency because the Election Commission is already preparing for Assembly bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar. Polling in the two constituencies is scheduled for October 6, with counting set for October 9. Both factions had sought to field candidates using the Trinamool Congress name, making the question of the party symbol particularly important.
The ‘Flowers & Grass’ symbol has long been associated with the Trinamool Congress and is its reserved election symbol. The temporary freeze means voters in the two constituencies will see candidates linked to the rival factions contesting under different identities during the bypolls.
The latest step also moved quickly on the ground. The Mamata Banerjee-led faction submitted its alternative names and symbol choices to the Election Commission late on September 17, according to reports. The response was sent at 11.36 pm and was described by the faction as being submitted “under strongest protest”.
The move does not amount to a final decision on ownership of the Trinamool Congress. The Election Commission has made clear that the underlying dispute remains pending and will require a substantive determination.
That distinction is important because the interim order is specifically tied to the current election process. It provides a temporary framework under which both factions can participate in the bypolls without either side gaining an immediate advantage from the disputed party name or reserved election symbol.
The decision could therefore have a direct impact on the campaign for the Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls. Both factions now have to build voter recognition around new names and symbols, even as the larger fight over the Trinamool Congress’ organisational control continues.
The Election Commission’s order has also brought the party’s internal dispute into sharper public view. What began as a disagreement over the authority of the National Working Committee has now reached the question of who can use the Trinamool Congress identity in an election.
The final outcome of the dispute will determine which faction, if either, can claim the party’s established name and reserved symbol beyond the present bypoll arrangement. Until then, both groups will enter the West Bengal bypolls with separate electoral identities.
