Mamata moves Supreme Court against EC order freezing TMC name, symbol

Former West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee on Friday approached the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to bar her faction from using the original All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) name and its traditional ‘Flowers and Grass’ symbol, news agency ANI reported.

The development comes after the Election Commission allotted separate names and symbols to the two rival factions after its interim decision on Thursday to bar both groups from using the ‘All India Trinamool Congress’ name and its reserved symbol while the dispute is examined.

Also read | Mamata's TMC faction opts out of Nandigram bypoll, to back Congress in rare move

The Arup Roy-led faction has been recognised as "Democratic Trinamool Congress" and allotted the envelope symbol. Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee's faction will be called "Mamata All India Trinamool Congress" with the football player symbol. Both groups have been recognised as political parties in West Bengal, Meghalaya and Tripura.

“Black day” in the country’s democratic history

Mamata Banerjee criticised the Election Commission over its decision to freeze the Trinamool Congress’ name and traditional ‘Flowers and Grass’ symbol, describing the loss of the party’s identity as akin to a mother losing her child and calling it a “black day” in the country’s democratic history.

Banerjee said she would not accept the interim arrangement as a settlement and would continue her fight to reclaim the party’s original identity and its ‘flowers-and-grass’ symbol through political, democratic and legal means.

Also read | Football player and envelope: Why both TMC factions have been given temporary names & new symbols

“A mother understands the pain of losing a child, and a child understands the pain of losing a mother. Those who have not built this organisation through struggle cannot understand that emotional bond,” she said.

Banerjee also said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and AAP's Arvind Kejriwal had contacted her following the development.

Mamata's TMC faction opts out of Nandigram bypoll

Banerjee on Friday also claimed that her faction had decided not to contest the Nandigram bypolls and would support the Congress candidate in the October 6 elections.

The development marks a rare move, as the TMC and Congress have generally contested elections in West Bengal independently despite being part of the INDIA alliance at the national level. The two parties last contested the 2011 Assembly elections in Bengal as allies.

She announced that her faction would not nominate a candidate in Nandigram and would instead back Congress candidate Milan Pradhan. Banerjee said the move reflected the INDIA alliance's commitment to unity as Opposition parties seek to challenge the BJP together.

The announcement followed the withdrawal of Sanchita Pradhan Dey, a teacher chosen and backed by Banerjee's faction of the Trinamool Congress to contest from Nandigram, from the contest earlier in the day.

The Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction has been recognised as "Democratic Trinamool Congress" and allotted the envelope symbol. Former chief minister Mamata Banerjee's faction will be called "Mamata All India Trinamool Congress" with the football player symbol. Both groups have been recognised as political parties in West Bengal, Meghalaya and Tripura.