The Election Commission of India has issued an interim order preventing two rival factions of the All India Trinamool Congress from using the party’s official name and reserved Flowers and Grass election symbol in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly bypolls.
The decision follows an internal dispute between two groups claiming to represent the recognised political party. According to the Election Commission, the rival groups are led by Mamata Banerjee and Arup Roy. Both factions have submitted claims regarding control and representation of the All India Trinamool Congress.
The interim order specifically affects the upcoming bypolls in the Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly constituencies. Polling in both constituencies is scheduled for October 6, 2026. The Commission said the existing dispute could not be conclusively determined before the bypolls, requiring a temporary arrangement for the election process.
Under the order, neither faction will be permitted to contest the bypolls using the name All India Trinamool Congress. Both groups have also been prohibited from using the Flowers and Grass symbol that is reserved for the party.
Instead, the Election Commission has directed both factions to submit three preferred names for their respective groups. The groups were also asked to provide three choices of free election symbols from the list notified by the Commission for the current bypolls. The Commission may approve one of the proposed names and allot one of the preferred free symbols to each group.
The Election Commission stated that the temporary arrangement was necessary because both groups are claiming to represent the same recognised political party. The Commission said the dispute requires a substantive determination under Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbols Reservation and Allotment Order, 1968.
The order is therefore not a final decision on which faction is entitled to the Trinamool Congress name or its reserved election symbol. The interim arrangement will continue for the current bypolls until the Commission reaches a final determination in the dispute.
The dispute has developed following an internal rebellion within the Trinamool Congress. The disagreement reportedly spread from the party’s legislative structure to its wider organisational and parliamentary affairs. The competing groups subsequently approached the Election Commission with their respective claims over the party’s identity and control.
The Commission conducted proceedings involving representatives of the rival groups before issuing the interim order. After considering the material submitted by both sides, the Commission concluded that there were two rival groups claiming the identity of the recognised political party.
The approaching bypoll schedule was also an important factor in the Commission’s decision. With the nomination and election process moving forward, candidates and political groups needed clearly defined names and symbols for the ballot. The Commission therefore introduced the temporary arrangement instead of waiting for the entire dispute to be resolved before the bypolls.
The Mamata Banerjee-led faction has objected to the order. TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee described the decision as contrary to law and indicated that the faction would communicate its position to the Commission. The rival faction led by Arup Roy has said it would comply with the interim arrangement. These are positions expressed by the respective factions and do not constitute findings by the Election Commission.
For the upcoming bypolls, the immediate consequence is that candidates supported by the two factions cannot campaign or contest under the established All India Trinamool Congress identity and its reserved Flowers and Grass symbol under the current interim order.
The Election Commission has allowed the factions to propose names that may retain a connection with the parent organisation. However, the symbols must be selected from the list of free symbols available for the current elections. This arrangement is intended to provide separate identities to the two groups during the bypoll process.
The decision has also attracted wider political attention because the Flowers and Grass symbol has been associated with the Trinamool Congress since the party’s formation. The current order temporarily removes that established electoral identity from the ballot for the two bypoll constituencies.
The final question of which faction is entitled to use the All India Trinamool Congress name and the reserved Flowers and Grass symbol remains unresolved. The Election Commission will have to examine the competing claims and documents before issuing its final determination under the applicable provisions of the Election Symbols Order.
Until that decision is made, the two factions will operate under separate names and symbols for the upcoming West Bengal bypolls. The arrangement is specifically connected to the current elections and should not be interpreted as a final ruling on the permanent ownership of the party name or election symbol.