Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress will participate in the upcoming West Bengal bypolls without its traditional name and the Flowers & Grass symbol, as the Election Commission has temporarily frozen both. This restriction also applies to their rivals. With voting scheduled for October 6 in Nandigram and Rejinagar, both factions will need to campaign under new names and symbols, marking a significant change in the electoral landscape.
The Election Commission issued its interim order on Thursday as the fight over the Trinamool Congress moved from party leadership to control of its electoral identity. “This narrative that was going on regarding the symbol and the name, the Election Commission’s interim order today, proves that there is no room for dynastic politics. This has been proven today,” he said.
Both rival groups claim to represent the recognised All India Trinamool Congress. One camp is led by party founder and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while the rival group is associated with Ritabrata Banerjee and Arup Roy. The Election Commission has, however, allowed the rival groups to propose names that retain a link to their parent party. The final temporary names will depend on what the Commission approves. Voters in the two constituencies will see rival factions seeking support without either side having exclusive use of the Trinamool identity that has appeared on West Bengal ballots for years. The answer is not clear yet. The rule applies when rival groups of a recognised political party each claim to be the party. A political party is not a private limited company, nor can there be an heir to a political party.
The dispute is therefore no longer limited to who controls the party organisation. The Election Commission is dealing with the dispute under Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968. The EC has clarified that this arrangement is interim and applies only to the October 6 by-elections in Nandigram and Rejinagar.
Both factions are barred from using the original party name “All India Trinamool Congress” and the reserved “Flowers & Grass” symbol until the leadership dispute is finally resolved under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
