The Election Commission has temporarily frozen the All India Trinamool Congress name and its reserved Flowers and Grass election symbol amid a leadership dispute between two rival factions ahead of the West Bengal Assembly bypolls.
Under the interim order issued on September 17, neither the faction led by Mamata Banerjee nor the rival camp headed by Ritabrata Banerjee can use the established TMC name or symbol in the upcoming elections. Both groups were directed to submit three proposed party names and three choices from the Election Commission’s list of free symbols by 11 AM on September 18. The poll panel will allot separate names and symbols to the two factions for the bypolls.
The factions can include a reference to the parent party, All India Trinamool Congress, in the alternative names submitted to the Commission. However, neither side can claim exclusive use of the original identity until a final decision is issued. The decision is temporary and does not determine which group is the legally recognised TMC. The Commission is expected to examine the organisational and legislative support claimed by both factions before delivering its final ruling under the Election Symbols Order.
The internal dispute began after the TMC’s defeat in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. Ritabrata Banerjee, a first-time MLA who was later expelled from the party, emerged as the leading face of a rebellion against the existing organisational leadership. Ritabrata’s group claimed the support of around 60 of the TMC’s 80 legislators. The rebel MLAs initially maintained that Mamata Banerjee remained their overall leader while demanding changes in the party’s functioning and opposing the influence of general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
The confrontation later expanded into a battle for control of the organisation. The Ritabrata-led faction claimed that Mamata had been removed as party chairperson and that senior MLA Arup Roy had been appointed to head what it described as the “real TMC.” Mamata’s loyalists rejected those claims and continued to recognise her as the party’s chairperson. Both groups subsequently submitted documents to the Election Commission asserting their right to represent the Trinamool Congress and use its established election symbol.
The dispute gained urgency because both camps are preparing to field candidates in the Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly bypolls scheduled for October 6. Votes will be counted on October 9, and the election process is expected to be completed before October 11.
The Nandigram seat became vacant after Suvendu Adhikari retained Bhabanipur and vacated Nandigram following the Assembly elections. He had defeated Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram during the state polls. The Rejinagar constituency became vacant after Aam Janata Unnayan Party founder Humayun Kabir resigned from the seat after also winning from Nowda.
The interim freeze means voters will not see the traditional TMC name or Flowers and Grass symbol beside either faction’s candidates during these bypolls. Each group will instead contest under a temporary identity allotted by the Election Commission. The final decision over control of the TMC name and symbol could have broader consequences for Bengal politics, determining which faction inherits the party’s legal identity, organisational status and long-established electoral recognition.
