TMC Symbol Stays With Mamata Banerjee, Says MP Sougata Roy

West Bengal politics is buzzing again. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has found itself caught in a tug‑of‑war over its very identity – its name, its flag, and especially its electoral symbol.

Speaking to reporters, MP Sougata Roy, a loyalist of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, said plainly, “The symbol stays wherever Mamata Banerjee is.” He added that any attempt to wrest the symbol away would be futile, because the party’s spirit lives with her.

Roy also addressed rumours about a planned rally in Serampore. “We got permission, but we chose to postpone it for now,” he explained, promising that the meeting would be rescheduled once the dust settles.

Across town, a splinter group led by opposition leader Ritabrata Banerjee is doing the opposite. About sixty of the newly elected TMC MLAs have broken away after the party’s loss to the BJP in April’s assembly poll. This faction believes it can lay claim to the “real” Trinamool Congress and has formally approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) for recognition.

On Saturday, a five‑member delegation from Banerjee’s camp visited the India International Institute of Democracy & Election Management (IIIDEM) in Delhi. The ECI, in a letter dated Wednesday, scheduled a meeting for 12 September at 11 a.m., signalling that it will hear both sides before any decision is taken.

While the bureaucracy prepares to sort out the paperwork, the political drama continues to play out on the streets of Kolkata and beyond. For now, Mamata Banerjee’s camp says the symbol – the party’s most recognizable emblem – remains firmly in her hands.