Election Commission freezes TMC name and symbol, gives both factions new identities
Amid the split in Trinamool Congress, the Election Commission has frozen the party's name and symbol and allotted new names and symbols to both factions ahead of bypolls.
West Bengal politics is in turmoil. Amid the infighting and split within Trinamool Congress, the Election Commission has taken a major decision. The Commission has frozen, on an interim basis, the party's original name, All India Trinamool Congress, and its Flowers and Grass symbol. With bypolls coming up, the Commission has allotted separate names and election symbols to both factions.
According to the Election Commission's decision, the faction led by Mamata Banerjee has been named Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and given the football player election symbol. The rebel faction has been named Democratic Trinamool Congress and given the envelope symbol.
Two factions within Trinamool Congress had each staked claim to the party's name and old symbol. When the dispute reached the Election Commission, it examined the documents and claims of both sides. Following this, in an interim order, the Commission made clear that neither faction can now use the original All India Trinamool Congress name or the Flowers and Grass symbol.
This decision will directly affect the upcoming bypolls in West Bengal. In the seats going to bypolls on October 6, including Nandigram and Rejinagar, both factions will have to contest under their new identities.
For the bypolls, the Election Commission had given both factions the opportunity to choose their own separate name and a free symbol. Under this, Mamata Banerjee's faction was given the name Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and the football player symbol, while Arup Roy's faction got the name Democratic Trinamool Congress and the envelope symbol.
The Election Commission's decision has revived memories of the dispute over party name and election symbol that followed the Shiv Sena split in Maharashtra. However, it cannot be said outright that the legal and constitutional position in both cases is the same. In the Trinamool Congress case, the present decision is interim in nature, and the final dispute over the original party's identity and symbol is being heard separately.
Both factions in West Bengal will now contest with their new names and symbols. This means that on the ballot papers and EVMs, the new identities will appear in place of the traditional Trinamool name and symbol.
