TMC vs TMC: Mamata Responds Overnight as EC Freezes Party Name and Symbol; Rebel Camp Given 11 AM Deadline

Kolkata: The internal battle within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has taken a dramatic turn ahead of the West Bengal Assembly bypolls, with the Election Commission freezing the party’s official name and election symbol for the time being.

The poll panel directed the rival factions led by Mamata Banerjee and Ritabrata Banerjee to submit three alternative party names and three free election symbols by 11 AM on September 18. The move came after both sides claimed the right to represent the Trinamool Congress.

Mamata Sends Response at 11:36 PM
Sources in the Mamata Banerjee camp said the former West Bengal chief minister and TMC chairperson submitted her response to the Election Commission at 11:36 PM on Thursday.

According to the sources, Mamata strongly objected to the decision to freeze the party’s established name and symbol. At the same time, her faction submitted three preferred names and three election symbols in accordance with the Commission’s interim directive.

The Election Commission had ordered both camps to submit alternatives so that they could contest the upcoming bypolls without using the disputed party identity.

Ritabrata Welcomes EC Decision
Ritabrata Banerjee, who leads the rival faction and is the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, welcomed the Commission’s decision.

He said the EC had considered it necessary to freeze the existing name and symbol amid the dispute. Banerjee also argued that a political party cannot function like a “private limited company”, and spoke against what he described as fascism, dynastic politics and hereditary succession in a democracy.

Banerjee said that Arup Biswas, Arup Roy and Akruzzaman were in Delhi and that he would meet Chandrima on Friday morning before submitting his faction’s choices to the Election Commission by the 11 AM deadline.

He further said his faction had begun submitting documents to the Commission on June 23, and that the interim order followed consideration of those documents.

What Is the TMC Name and Symbol Dispute?
The dispute centres on which faction should be recognised as the legitimate Trinamool Congress and allowed to use its established identity.

The Election Commission heard both sides and examined their respective claims and documents before issuing the interim order. With the bypolls approaching, the Commission decided that neither faction would be allowed to use the official “All India Trinamool Congress” name or the party’s traditional Flowers and Grass symbol until the dispute is finally resolved.

The arrangement was intended to prevent confusion during the upcoming bypolls, with both factions required to contest under separate temporary identities.

EC Later Allots Separate Identities
The dispute moved to its next stage on Friday when the Election Commission allotted separate names and symbols to the two factions.

The Mamata Banerjee-led faction was allotted the name “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” and the football player symbol, while the Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction received the name “Democratic Trinamool Congress” and the envelope symbol.

The original TMC name and symbol remain frozen for the purposes of the upcoming bypolls while the Commission considers the competing claims.

Battle for the TMC Identity
The Election Commission’s interim intervention has effectively forced the two rival camps to enter the upcoming electoral contest under separate identities.

The larger question of which faction will ultimately retain the original All India Trinamool Congress name and its traditional symbol remains subject to the Commission’s final determination.