Kolkata: Election Commission on Thursday issued an interim order freezing the name ‘All India Trinamool Congress’ and the party’s ‘flowers and grass’ symbol.The full bench of the poll panel, chaired by chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, directed the rival camps in the party — one headed by former CM Mamata Banerjee and the other by the leader of opposition in the assembly, Ritabrata Banerjee — to submit three choices for a party name and as many for an election symbol by 11am on Friday for the Oct 6 bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar. The EC will allot a name and a symbol from the lists to each camp.The order signals a major shift in Bengal politics after 28 years. For the first time since Jan 1998, when Mamata broke away from Congress to form her own party, neither the name ‘All India Trinamool Congress’ nor its flowers-and-grass symbol will feature on EVMs in Bengal. The party, which governed the state for a decade and a half, was trounced by BJP in this year’s assembly polls, leading to a split in the once formidable organisation.EC’s 14-page order reasoned that an interim order was necessary because “the time available is not adequate to complete the proceedings under Para 15 of the Symbols Order”, given that the bypolls are less than three weeks away. Stating that the claims by the rival blocs required a “substantive determination”, the EC order said the interim decision would “cover the purpose of the current bye-elections and continue till the final determination of the dispute”.The ruling specified: “Neither of the two groups led by Shri Arup Roy (Petitioner) and other led by Ms. Mamata Banerjee (Respondent) shall be permitted to use the name of the party ‘All India Trinamool Congress’ simplicitor, nor use the symbol ‘Flowers & Grass’.” It added: “Both the groups shall be known by such names as they may choose for their respective groups, including, if they so desire, linkage with their parent party ‘All India Trinamool Congress’.”The factions, EC said, “were asked to submit three options, in order of preference, for both their group names and free symbols”.Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee, who represented Mamata at Thursday’s hearings, called the order “unacceptable”. Asked about the camp’s next move, he said, “We have a long time, till 11 am on Friday, to decide.”Ritabrata said, “Trinamool is not anyone’s fief. We will decide our course of action tomorrow.”EC’s decision aligns with precedents. Ahead of the Oct 2022 Andheri East assembly bypoll, EC froze the ‘Shiv Sena’ name and its ‘Bow and Arrow’ symbol for both factions — headed by Udhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde. In Oct 2021, following the death of Ram Vilas Paswan, EC froze his party’s name — ‘Lok Janshakti Party’ — and its reserved ‘Bungalow’ symbol.Earlier on Thursday, the returning officers (ROs) in Nandigram and Rejinagar adjourned the scrutiny of nominations filed by candidates fielded by the rival Trinamool camps to Friday. The move followed a submission by Congress that the nominations should be rejected because each had only one proposer.“After informing EC of the matter, the ROs adjourned the scrutiny until Friday under Section 36 of Representation of the People Act. The ROs will resume the process at 11 am,” an EC official said.Before the order was released, a five-member delegation from the Mamata camp met with the poll panel. After the meeting, Mamata loyalist Kalyan said, “We presented our arguments. The claim that Trinamool working committee ceased to exist in 2025 is false.”He was responding to arguments from the Ritabrata faction that Trinamool’s national working committee, which was formed in February 2022 and had a tenure of three years, had expired in February 2025. The faction also cited a July 2026 ex-parte interim injunction from an Alipore court regarding the control of TMC offices, bank accounts and other assets.Ritabrata, who also led a five-member delegation to EC, said after the meeting: “We have presented our case and answered all queries. We have left the decision regarding the party symbol to EC and are 100% confident the verdict will be in our favour.”
