The two factions of the Trinamool Congress, led by Mamata Banerjee and Arup Roy, on Friday submitted their preferred names and symbols ahead of the October 6 bypolls as directed by the Election Commission.
To place both the rival groups on an even keel and to protect their rights and interests, the poll body on Thursday, in an interim order, directed the competing groups not to use the party name and “Flowers and Grass symbol” during the Bengal bypolls.
On Friday, Ritabrata Banerjee, who heads a group of around 60 of the 80 newly elected Trinamool MLAs who distanced themselves from former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after the party’s defeat to the BJP in the Assembly polls held in April, submitted three fresh names to the poll body.
The poll body said both the groups would be known by names of their choice and, if they desired, could retain a linkage with their parent party, the Trinamool Congress. They may indicate the names of three free symbols, in the order of their preference, any one of which may be allotted to their candidates by the commission,” the poll body said. “Both the groups are hereby directed to furnish, latest by 11:00 AM on 18.09.2026: The names of their groups by which they may be recognised by the commission and, to this end, give three options in order of preference, any one of which may be approved by the commission and the symbols which may be allotted to the candidates set up, if any, by the respective groups,” the poll body said in its Thursday order. The proposed names of the Ritabrata faction are: ‘Nationalist Trinamool Congress,’ ‘Democratic [Trinamool],’ or ‘West Bengal Trinamool’, sources said. As for the symbols, one of the three options is a torch, the sources said. The names being proposed by Mamata Banerjee include ‘Mamata’ and ‘Trinamool Congress’ as part of the party’s name, sources said. Regarding the symbols, the sources said, two are linked to the theme of ‘sports’ – reflecting the party’s earlier ‘Khela Hobe’ (Game On) slogan.
