The Election Commission of India issued an interim order on Thursday barring both rival factions of the All India Trinamool Congress from using the party’s name and its reserved symbol in the upcoming Assembly bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar in West Bengal.
The factions, one led by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the other by Ritabrata Banerjee, who currently serves as Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, were directed to submit alternative names and symbols for their respective groups by 11 a.m. on Friday.
The order followed a hearing held on Thursday, the second in less than five days. Scrutiny of nominations for the bypolls, scheduled for October 6, concluded the same day. Both groups had fielded candidates using the party’s “flowers and grass” symbol.
In its 14-page order, the Commission stated that after examining the available information, it concluded that two rival groups exist within the party, each claiming to represent the organisation. The matter therefore requires a substantive determination under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
To place both sides on an equal footing and protect their rights, the Commission ruled that neither group may use the name “All India Trinamool Congress” or the reserved “flowers and grass” symbol. Each faction may select a new name, which can include a reference to the parent party if desired, and will be allotted a free symbol from the Commission’s notified list for the current bypolls.
The Commission noted that a similar approach had been adopted in the earlier Shiv Sena split case. The interim arrangement is intended to allow both groups to participate in the elections while the larger dispute over the party’s identity is resolved.
-
-
-
-
