Mamata camp submits new names, symbols after EC freezes AITC identity

The Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the Trinamool Congress has submitted alternative names and symbols to the Election Commission under protest after the poll panel temporarily barred both rival camps from using the All India Trinamool Congress name and its reserved “flowers and grass” symbol in the 6th October West Bengal bypolls.

According to sources, the faction emailed its choices to the commission at 11.36 pm on Thursday, describing the submission as being made “under strongest protest”.

The interim arrangement means that neither the faction led by TMC founder and chairperson Mamata Banerjee nor the rival group headed by senior MLA Arup Roy can contest the Rejinagar and Nandigram by-elections under the AITC name or its familiar symbol.

Both sides were directed to submit three preferred names and three symbols from the commission’s list of free symbols. The EC said the proposed names could retain some similarity to All India Trinamool Congress, but the symbols must be selected from those available to Independents and registered unrecognised political parties.

The commission issued the order after hearing representatives of both groups on Thursday. It concluded that the rival claims required a detailed determination under Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.

“Each group is now claiming to be the party, and therefore the matter requires a substantive determination by the commission under Para 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation & Allotment) Order 1968,” the order said.

However, with insufficient time to complete the proceedings before the bypolls, the EC introduced an interim arrangement aimed at placing both sides on an equal footing. It will remain in force until the dispute over the party’s recognised name and reserved symbol is decided.

The decision represents a significant challenge for Banerjee, whose hand-drawn “flowers and grass” emblem has been closely associated with the Trinamool Congress since she formed the party after leaving the Congress in 1998. For nearly three decades, it has appeared prominently on ballot papers, flags and campaign material and has become central to the party’s political identity.

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee, who belongs to the Mamata faction, called the interim order “illegal” and “contrary to law”, alleging that it contained several legal flaws.

“We are not accepting it,” he said, adding: “Facts have not been placed in the order.”

He nevertheless acknowledged that the faction might have to comply with the temporary arrangement. “At times you have to accept things which may not be in adherence to norms, rules and law for a temporary period,” he said.