West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday described the turmoil within the Trinamool Congress as the result of Mamata Banerjee’s “arrogance” and what he called “Lord Ram’s curse”, while distancing the BJP from the Election Commission’s decision to temporarily freeze the party’s original name and ‘Flowers and Grass’ election symbol.
Adhikari said the Election Commission had acted under established rules after hearing the competing claims of the rival Trinamool factions and rejected suggestions that the BJP had played any role in the poll panel’s decision. His remarks came hours after the EC allotted separate names and symbols to the groups led by Banerjee and Arup Roy for the upcoming bypolls.
‘Couldn’t keep party united’
“The Commission’s decision was taken according to the rules, and after hearing all sides. She could not keep her own party united. The party has split into two, three, four factions. She herself is responsible for this. The BJP has no direct role in it,” Adhikari told reporters on the sidelines of a Vishwakarma Puja programme at the state secretariat.
Taking aim at Banerjee, the Chief Minister invoked a Sanskrit verse to argue that arrogance ultimately brings about its own downfall. He linked the present turmoil within the Trinamool to what he characterised as the party leadership’s previous positions on religious issues.
Adhikari referred to past controversies involving remarks on Hinduism, the Maha Kumbh and the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, claiming that these had hurt religious sentiments.
“Everything has been destroyed by the curse of Lord Ram,” he said. The remarks were Adhikari’s political characterisation of the Trinamool split, which has developed into a formal dispute before the Election Commission over control of the party’s name and symbol.
New names, symbols
The Election Commission on Friday allotted the name ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ and the ‘Football Player’ symbol to the faction led by Banerjee. The rival group headed by Arup Roy was allotted the name ‘Democratic Trinamool Congress’ and the ‘Envelope’ symbol.
The arrangement follows an interim order issued by the poll panel on Thursday night barring both groups from using the original ‘All India Trinamool Congress’ name and its reserved ‘Flowers and Grass’ symbol while their competing claims remain unresolved.
The Commission had asked the two factions to submit alternative names and symbols by Friday morning. It allowed the proposed names to bear a resemblance to the original party name, while directing the groups to choose symbols from those available for Independents and registered unrecognised political parties.
The interim arrangement was required because candidates associated with the rival factions had already entered the electoral process while both groups continued to claim the original Trinamool identity.
Battle over identity
The dispute has placed the political identity used by the Trinamool since its formation in 1998 at the centre of an unprecedented internal battle. Banerjee founded the party after breaking away from the Congress, while Roy was among its founding members.
The Commission has not made a final determination on which faction is entitled to the original party name and reserved symbol. Until the dispute is finally decided, the rival camps will operate under their separately allotted identities for the immediate electoral contests.
Banerjee has criticised the freezing of the name and symbol and accused the BJP of attempting to weaken Opposition parties. The BJP has rejected that charge, with Adhikari maintaining that the matter arose entirely from the Trinamool’s internal split and was being handled independently by the Election Commission.
Bypoll test ahead
The dispute has assumed immediate electoral significance because Assembly bypolls in Nandigram in East Medinipur and Rejinagar in Murshidabad are scheduled for October 6, with counting on October 9.
Nandigram carries particular political weight for both Banerjee and Adhikari. The constituency was the site of their high-profile contest in the 2021 Assembly election and subsequently became central to their political rivalry.
The political equations in Nandigram shifted further on Friday after Sanchita Pradhan Dey, fielded by Banerjee’s faction, withdrew her nomination. Banerjee subsequently announced that her camp would support Congress candidate Milan Pradhan in the constituency, bringing the INDIA bloc into sharper focus in the bypoll battle.
The twin bypolls will now unfold against the backdrop of a fractured Trinamool, new names and symbols for its competing factions and an increasingly sharp political confrontation between Banerjee and the BJP government.