The Election Commission of India(ECI) on Friday approved names and party symbols for both factions of Trinamool Congress(TMC) after a freeze on the name and party symbol of All India Trinamool Congress(AITC) on Thursday.
The Mamata Banerjee faction will contest the Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls under the name of ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ with a 'football player' as the party symbol. The rebel faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee, of which Arup Roy is the Chairperson, will contest under the name of ‘Democratic Trinamool Congress’ with an 'envelope' as the party symbol.
“The Group led by Shri Arup Roy is allotted the name “Democratic Trinamool Congress” and the ‘Envelope' symbol and to be treated as a recognised political party in the States of West Bengal, Meghalaya and Tripura," stated the interim ECI order.
“The Election Commission approved the third choice given: 'Democratic Trinamool Congress'. Our first choice of symbol was the 'envelope' which was allotted,” said Ritabrata Banerjee, making his point that those who termed the faction as the Ritabrata faction have got their answer. The Leader of Opposition(LoP) in the West Bengal Assembly also said that their faction functions as a collective.
“The group led by Ms Mamata Banerjee is allotted “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” and “football player and is to be treated as a recognised political party in the States of West Bengal, Meghalaya and Tripura,” stated the EC order.
“We were told a while earlier that we are allotted ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ with the football player as the symbol. The order is for the by-elections,” said MP Kalyan Banerjee of the Mamata faction, which was granted their first choice of name and party symbol.
ECI had asked both factions to respond by 11:00 am on Friday with three options of names in order of preference and party symbols. The two factions were also allowed to choose from the list of free symbols with the ECI. This comes after the apex polling body met both factions in Delhi on Thursday, the last meeting being on Saturday. By Thursday night, an interim order was passed by ECI putting a freeze on the name and party symbol.
Mamata Banerjee has been the founder and chairperson of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) since its inception in 1998, when she broke away from the Congress party. Arup Roy, chairperson of the rebel faction, was among its founding members. For the first time in 28 years, the party’s name and iconic ‘Jora Phool’ symbol cannot be used following an EC freeze. Although the Mamata-led group has fewer MPs and MLAs compared with the rebel faction, it continues its political fight.
Meanwhile, Mamata-led group's Sanchita Pradhan will be contesting the Nandigram bypolls against Ritabrata faction's Mohammad Eteshamul Haque.
The Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls will be a litmus test for both factions with the new names and party symbols. The BJP too will give a tough fight, with Nandigram being the erstwhile constituency of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
