'Football player' vs 'envelope': EC allots new names and symbols to TMC factions

NEW DELHI: Election Commission on Friday allotted Mamata-led faction "Mamata All India Trinamool Congress" as name and "football player" as party symbol.Meanwhile, the rival group led by Arup roy is allotted the name "Democratic Trinamool Congress" and the symbol of "envelope."This comes a day after the poll panel, in its interim order, ruled that neither faction of TMC can use its name or "flowers and grass" symbol after acknowledging a split between factions led by Mamata Banerjee and Arup Roy.Both groups will have to contest the upcoming bypolls under different names and with election symbols allotted by the Commission.

This arrangement will continue until the dispute is finally settled.EC said two rival groups each claimed to be the "real" party, requiring substantive determination under Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968. It said the interim measure, based on precedents, would place them on an "even keel".The poll panel has been hearing competing claims from the two factions over control of the party, its name and election symbol.Both sides have submitted documents and appeared before the Commission during the proceedings.The dispute reached the Election Commission in July after the rival factions staked competing claims to control of the TMC.The panel subsequently sought responses on issues including organisational control, authorised signatories, party assets, name and election symbol.