Kolkata: The Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the Trinamool Congress has submitted its preferred new party names and election symbol choices to the Election Commission following the poll panel’s interim order freezing the use of the ‘All India Trinamool Congress’ name and the party’s reserved ‘Flowers and Grass’ symbol for the upcoming West Bengal bypolls.
According to reports, the Mamata faction submitted its choices to the Election Commission late Thursday night. The submission was made while protesting the interim order.
EC Freezes TMC Name and Symbol
The Election Commission has recognised a dispute between two rival factions of the All India Trinamool Congress, one led by Mamata Banerjee and the other by the opposing faction. The commission said that a substantive decision on the competing claims would require proceedings under Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
Since the final determination could not be completed before the upcoming bypolls, the EC issued an interim arrangement. Under it, neither faction can use the name ‘All India Trinamool Congress’ or the reserved ‘Flowers and Grass’ symbol for the affected elections.
Both Factions Asked to Submit Alternatives
The Election Commission directed both groups to submit three preferred party names and three free-symbol choices, in order of preference. The commission will subsequently allot a name and symbol to each faction for the bypolls.
The interim arrangement applies to the upcoming Assembly bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar, scheduled for October 6.
The commission has said that the temporary arrangement does not amount to a final decision on which faction is entitled to the original party identity. The substantive dispute will be considered separately.
Dispute Over Party Control
The dispute over the TMC’s organisational control has been before the Election Commission for several weeks. Both sides have submitted documents, arguments and claims regarding the party organisation and its leadership.
The Election Commission has heard the rival factions and is examining the material placed before it before taking a final decision under the applicable provisions.
For now, the focus is on the alternative names and symbols that will be used by the two factions in the upcoming bypolls.
