Trinamool Symbol War Moves To Supreme Court As Mamata Banerjee Challenges Poll Body Freeze

Mamata Banerjee has gone to the Supreme Court against the Election Commission's decision to temporarily freeze the name and symbol of the Trinamool Congress, as two factions -- one led by the former chief minister, the other by Ritabrata Banerjee -- have made claims.

The EC's interim order of September 17 barred both factions from using the name 'All India Trinamool Congress' and the party's 'flowers and grass' symbol, and made them choose different names and symbols for the October bypolls. The Mamata faction was allotted the name 'Mamata All India Trinamool Congress' and the 'Football Player' symbol. The Ritabrata Banerjee-Arup Roy faction got the name 'Democratic Trinamool Congress' and 'Envelope' as its symbol.

Mamata's court move, calling the EC's interim order illegal, came just hours after the bypoll in Nandigram saw its own controversy. Sanchita Pradhan Dey, the Banerjee faction's candidate, withdrew after meeting Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. 

At a press conference at her Kalighat residence just after that, Banerjee announced that her faction would support Congress candidate Milan Pradhan, calling the Congress a "sister party". "Let the message (for strengthening INDIA bloc) begin from Bengal."

Pradhan was arrested hours later in connection with a murder case from the 2007 Nandigram anti-land acquisition protests. 

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi called the arrest "political revenge". "The arrest of Congress candidate Milan Pradhan for the Nandigram by-election is no coincidence-it is political revenge, the murder of democracy... The Congress will neither fear nor bow down. We will fight-and we will win," he said. Congress leader KC Venugopal said on X: "Using a dormant 19-year-old case from 2007 to arrest our candidate - minutes after Mamata Banerjee ji extended support - is a sign that BJP will go to any lengths to hijack democracy."

Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh said: "Why such lack of confidence, why such fear?"

Bengal state Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, however, said the party had not sought Banerjee's backing. "She had fielded a candidate, and now that her candidate has withdrawn, she is extending support to us. We have not asked for her support," Chowdhury said.