Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh on Monday accused the Election Commission of trying to “harass” Mamata Banerjee and confuse voters by temporarily freezing the party’s original name and election symbol amid a dispute between rival factions over control of the organisation.
Ghosh, who is aligned with the Mamata Banerjee-led faction, alleged that the Election Commission’s decision was part of a “game” aimed at creating confusion among Trinamool supporters ahead of the October 6 Assembly bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar.
The Election Commission has temporarily barred both rival groups from using the name “All India Trinamool Congress” and its reserved “Flowers and Grass” symbol until it reaches a final decision on the competing claims over the party.
‘Mamata is our symbol’
Ghosh maintained that the identity of the Trinamool Congress remained closely associated with Banerjee, irrespective of the interim name and symbol allotted by the poll panel.
He alleged that the controversy was being used to create uncertainty among voters but said the Mamata-led faction would take its new identity to the electorate.
The Election Commission has allotted Banerjee’s faction the interim name “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” and the “Football Player” election symbol.
The rival faction has been allotted the name “Democratic Trinamool Congress” and the “Envelope” symbol for the forthcoming bypolls.
Both arrangements are temporary and will remain in place while the Commission considers the rival claims over the original Trinamool Congress name and its traditional symbol.
Rival claims trigger freeze
The dispute emerged after a section of Trinamool leaders challenged Banerjee’s organisational leadership and claimed control over the party following its defeat in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election.
The rival camp has cited the support of a substantial section of the party’s legislators and organisational representatives while staking its claim before the Election Commission.
Banerjee’s faction has rejected those claims and maintained that the party organisation and its grassroots workers remain with her.
With both groups claiming the same political identity, the Election Commission invoked its powers under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, and adopted an interim arrangement ahead of the bypolls rather than immediately deciding the larger organisational dispute.
Legal battle reaches SC
Banerjee has challenged the Election Commission’s interim decision before the Supreme Court, seeking urgent consideration of the dispute ahead of the October 6 polling.
Her faction has argued that freezing the party’s established name and symbol shortly before an election could create confusion among voters and adversely affect its candidates.
The rival camp, however, has defended the Election Commission’s intervention and maintained that the dispute over organisational control must be resolved in accordance with the evidence placed before the poll body.
The Commission has not yet delivered a final ruling on which faction is entitled to the original All India Trinamool Congress name and the “Flowers and Grass” symbol.
Bypolls first test
The Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls will be the first electoral test for the rival groups under their separate interim identities. The Mamata-led faction has begun efforts to familiarise voters with the football player symbol, while the opposing camp will contest using the envelope.
The battle over the name and symbol has consequently added another dimension to the internal Trinamool dispute, with the final decision of the Election Commission likely to determine which faction can claim the party’s established electoral identity.