EC bars rival TMC factions from using party name, symbol in bypolls

Kolkata: The Election Commission has barred both rival Trinamool Congress factions from using the party’s name and election symbol in the October 6 Assembly bypolls, deepening the political crisis within the party in Bengal.

In an interim order issued on Thursday, the poll panel directed the factions led by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Opposition leader Ritabrata Banerjee to choose new names and symbols. They have been asked to submit their choices for the Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls by Friday morning.

The dispute follows a major rebellion within the TMC after its defeat by the Bharatiya Janata Party in the May Assembly elections. Nearly 60 of the party’s 80 MLAs have rebelled against the leadership. They backed Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of the Opposition. The rebel group later appointed Arup Roy as its chairperson.

The Assembly Speaker has recognised the rebel group as the legislature party. Ritabrata Banerjee has also been recognised as the Leader of the Opposition.

The crisis has also affected the party’s Lok Sabha strength. Twenty of its 28 MPs announced in June that they had merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India. The group has been supporting the NDA in the Lok Sabha.

The EC issued the order after both factions appeared before the poll panel for their second hearing in less than five days. It said neither side could use the All India Trinamool Congress name or its flowers-and-grass symbol until the dispute is settled.

The move follows the EC’s approach to the splits of the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party. In those cases, rival factions were initially denied the use of the original names and symbols until the disputes were settled.

Based on the scroll report