Assam Trinamool Pick Pulls Out Of Nagaon Bypoll Over Party Name, Symbol Freeze

The Assam unit of the Trinamool Congress on Friday said the party will not contest the upcoming Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll to protest the EC's decision to freeze the party's original name and symbol.

The party had named educationist Abdul Salam as its candidate for the October 6 by-election.

"We wholeheartedly support the decision taken by our Chairperson, Mamata Banerjee. We are deeply shocked by the unjust and undemocratic move to temporarily freeze our party's name and election symbol for the Nagaon by-election," the party's state convenor Sherman Ali Ahmed said in a statement.

"In protest against this, we have resolved not to contest this by-election in the Nagaon constituency. We strongly condemn the Election Commission for strangling democracy and express our deepest indignation at this insult to the people of Assam," Ali, also an MLA, added.

The EC has decided to freeze the 'All India Trinamool Congress' name and its 'flowers and grass' symbol for the October 6 by-polls, scheduled in Assam among other states.

The poll panel on Friday allotted the Mamata Banerjee faction the name "Mamata All India Trinamool Congress" and the 'Football Player' symbol, while the rival faction led by Arup Roy was allotted the name "Democratic Trinamool Congress" and the 'Envelope' symbol for the bypolls.

The arrangement is interim and will remain in force pending the Commission's final decision on the factional dispute.

The bypoll in Nagaon has been necessitated after former Congress leader Pradyut Bordoloi resigned from the party just days before the Assam assembly election to join the BJP. He won from the Dispur assembly constituency and became an MLA.

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