ECI bars TMC factions from using party name, symbol in bypolls

The Election Commission has directed rival factions of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) not to use the party name and “Flowers and Grass symbol” during the West Bengal bypolls, and asked them to submit their preferred names and symbols by Friday morning.

In its interim order issued on Thursday night, the Commission, after hearing leaders of the two factions led by Mamata Banerjee and Arup Roy, said the matter requires substantive determination by the poll body under provisions of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order 1968.

“On due consideration of the totality of information available on record... the commission is of the opinion that there are two rival groups in the All India Trinamool Congress, one led by Ms. Mamata Banerjee and the other led by Shri Arup Roy,” the interim order said. “Each group is now claiming to be the party, and therefore the matter requires a substantive determination by the Commission under Para 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation & Allotment) Order 1968,” it said.

Accordingly, the Commission said, to place both the rival groups on an even keel and to protect their rights and interests and going by the past precedent, the Commission gave its interim order to cover the purpose of the current by-elections and to continue till the final determination of the dispute in the matter. “Neither of the two groups led by Shri Arup Roy (Petitioner) and the other led by Ms. Mamata Banerjee (Respondent) shall be permitted to use the name of the party ‘All India Trinamool Congress’

“Neither of the two groups shall also be permitted to use the symbol ‘Flowers and Grass’, reserved for ‘All India Trinamool Congress’,” the Commission said.

The poll body said both the groups shall be known by such names as they may choose for their respective groups, and if they so desire, linkage with their parent party ‘All India Trinamool Congress’ and both the groups shall also be allotted such different symbols as they may choose from the list of free symbols notified by the ECI for the purposes of the current by-elections.

“Accordingly, 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.

“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 ECI said.

Both the factions had presented their cases for claim on party name and symbol ahead of the October 6 bypolls in the Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly constituencies of West Bengal.