Mamata's TMC faction gets football player symbol and new party name; Ritabrata camp gets envelope

The Election Commission has allotted separate names and election symbols to the two rival Trinamool Congress factions led by TMC founder and former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and present leader of the opposition (LoP) in the Bengal assembly, Ritabrata Banerjee.

The Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction has been allotted the name ‘Democratic Trinamool Congress’ and the ‘envelope’ as its election symbol.

Meanwhile, the Mamata Banerjee-led faction has been allotted the name ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ and the ‘football player’ as its election symbol.

Election Commission's order for TMC factions

The ECI on Thursday prohibited both factions from using the party name and its reserved "Flowers and Grass" symbol in the October 6 bypolls to West Bengal’s Nandigram and Rejinagar assembly constituencies, as well as Assam’s Nagaon parliamentary seat.

The poll body said the temporary arrangement was intended to keep "both the rival groups on even keel and to protect their rights and interests" until it issues its final ruling.

The rival factions had previously filed separate Form-B nomination documents, each claiming the TMC name, for the by-elections in West Bengal and Assam.

How did the dispute begin?

The conflict began after rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee questioned the validity of the Mamata Banerjee-led National Working Committee.

He claimed that the term ended on February 11, 2025, making all decisions and appointments made after that date invalid.

The faction led by Mamata Banerjee dismissed the argument, saying the opposing group was referring to older constitutional provisions and had failed to account for subsequent amendments submitted to the commission.

Rahul Gandhi slams BJP, EC

Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi criticised the ECI's decision, alleging that the BJP and the poll panel were collaborating to undermine opposition parties. He described the development as "party theft" and linked it to what he called India's continuing democratic decline.

Gandhi alleged that the BJP and the ECI had used a similar approach in disputes concerning the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and, most recently, the Trinamool Congress.

"First Shiv Sena, then NCP, and now Trinamool Congress. Every time, the same pattern—BJP and the Election Commission join forces to split a party. Then its election symbol is snatched away. When an entire party can be stolen, it's hardly surprising that the votes of millions of Indians can be stolen too. Vote theft. Government theft. Now party theft—these have become symbols of our democratic decline," he said in a post on X.

The Congress leader also alleged that the ECI was neglecting its constitutional duty to safeguard voters and was assisting the BJP in reversing election outcomes.