ECI Hears Mamata, Ritabrata Factions Over TMC Symbol Ahead of Bypolls

The Election Commission of India on Saturday heard both Trinamool Congress factions staking claim to the party’s name, symbol and organisational control ahead of the West Bengal by-elections, with nominations due to close on September 16. The two camps are preparing for their first electoral battle in the October 6 bypolls to Nandigram and Rejinagar.

The meeting came amid an escalating struggle between Mamata Banerjee loyalists and rebels led by West Bengal Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee. The commission is yet to pass any formal order on the dispute. With September 16 as the last date for filing nominations, both groups have urged the poll panel to take a decision at the earliest.

Mamata Faction Case

The Mamata Banerjee camp sent a five-member delegation. It comprised Derek O'Brien, Kalyan Banerjee, Sagarika Ghose, Saket Gokhale and advocate Abhinav Singh.

The delegation told the commission there was no genuine dispute to decide. It argued that the party has held internal elections every five years to choose the chairperson and then the national working committee.

“The five member TMC delegation also established that internal elections have been held every five years to elect the Chairperson and subsequently the national working committee — in 2006, 2011, 2017 and 2022. This clearly establishes that the TMC Chairperson and national working committee have a five year term,” the delegation said in a statement.

The faction also argued that the rebel MLAs had fought the recent Assembly election on TMC tickets with the party symbol authorised by Mamata as chairperson. It added that those MLAs received ₹25 lakh each in their accounts from the party for their campaigns.

The Mamata camp opposed any interim order while the matter is still being heard. “We have made our submissions. The ECI had some queries. We replied as far as possible. Only the poll panel can say whether they were satisfied with our replies. The ECI may issue an interim order. We will see what order the ECI gives and then we will decide on our future course of action,” Kalyan Banerjee told reporters in New Delhi.

Rebel Faction Response

The Ritabrata Banerjee faction said its meeting with the commission was “very fruitful”. The Ritabrata Banerjee faction includes around 60 of the 80 newly elected TMC MLAs who broke away after the party lost the Assembly election to the BJP.

“We won’t be able to disclose the exact contents of our deliberations with the ECI’s full bench. ‘Na khata. Na Bahi. Jo Mamata Banerjee kahe, wahi sahi’ — this attitude can’t continue in a democratic set-up. The TMC is not a family-centric party and neither anyone’s ancestral property. The party belongs to the grassroot level workers,” Ritabrata Banerjee told reporters.

He said the faction had answered all questions from the commission and had handed over documents. “We had answered all the queries posed by the ECI. Our replies were based on facts and not on whimsies. We have submitted some documents. The poll panel has asked some more documents to be submitted by the end of the day. We will submit those too. We are hopeful”.

The group also pressed for speed. “As September 16 is the last day for filing nomination by candidates for the upcoming by-elections in two assembly seats, we have requested the ECI to take a decision in this regard at the earliest,” he added.

Bypoll Stakes And Fallout

Voting takes place on October 6. The poll body set that date for byelections across Rejinagar in Murshidabad district and Nandigram in East Midnapore district, with votes to be counted on October 9.

The dispute has moved beyond the symbol battle. It now covers control of the party office and funds. The TMC office was shut after a confrontation between the two sides. Party accounts were also frozen, according to BJP leader Dilip Ghosh.

“A tug-of-war broke out over the TMC’s party office and the office had to be closed down. A battle erupted over which faction would control the party funds and the accounts were frozen. Now another fight has broken out over the symbol. It may so happen that neither of the factions are allotted the party’s symbol. We want the TMC to be wiped out. They have done enough damage. They have polluted the politics in West Bengal,” Ghosh said.

The ECI did not comment on the developments till the time of filing this report.