TMC Faction Battles Over Name and Symbol Ahead of West Bengal Bypolls

When the Election Commission stepped in and said “no more ‘All India Trinamool Congress’ or its beloved ‘Flowers & Grass’ logo for the coming West Bengal by‑polls”, the two rival camps found themselves scrambling for fresh identity cards.

Ritabrata Banerjee’s breakaway group was quick on the trigger. After an online strategy session with his close lieutenants, they drafted three possible party names – Nationalist Trinamool Congress, Democratic Trinamool Congress and West Bengal Trinamool Congress. Alongside the names came three free symbols that could be painted on ballot papers: a blackboard, an envelope and a torch. All of this was filed with the Election Commission on Friday, just before the 11 a.m. deadline.

The move was not made in a vacuum. Earlier on Thursday, the poll panel had issued an interim order demanding that both rival factions submit three preferred names and three free symbols each, insisting that none could use the existing All India Trinamool Congress title or its iconic “Flowers & Grass” sign until a final verdict is delivered.

Of course, Mamata Banerjee’s main faction did not sit idle. Sources tell us that her team also sent a list of three names and three symbols, and that they lodged a strongly worded objection to the manner in which the interim order was handed down. Their reply reached the commission just after midnight on Thursday, underscoring how heated the backstage negotiations have become.

Why all this fuss now? West Bengal is gearing up for two crucial Assembly by‑polls on October 6 – in Nandigram and Rejinagar – where both TMC splinters have already fielded candidates. With the EC’s temporary ban in place, each side will have to campaign under a new banner and a brand‑new emblem, at least until the commission finally decides who gets to keep the historic name and symbol.

At present, the poll panel has promised to pick one name and one symbol for each faction from the lists they’ve submitted. It’s a stop‑gap solution, designed to keep the playing field even while the deeper ownership battle plays out in court and in party offices.

Until the final decision drops, voters in Nandigram and Rejinagar will see ballots bearing unfamiliar logos – a blackboard here, a torch there – and party names that sound like cousins of the original TMC. Whether these makeshift identities will sway the electorate remains to be seen.