Archive · 18 Sep 2026
EC Assigns Rival TMC Factions New Names and Symbols
The Election Commission gave two rival Trinamool Congress groups different names and election symbols.
Mamata Banerjee’s group will use the name Mamata All India Trinamool Congress.
Its symbol will be a Football Player.
The other group will use the name Democratic Trinamool Congress.
Its symbol will be an Envelope.
The groups received these temporary identities before October 6 bypolls.
Mamata’s supporters say the football symbol connects with a popular political slogan.
The rival group says its name shows that a party should not belong to one person.
Leaders from both sides are arguing over which group has more support.
The Election Commission assigned the Mamata Banerjee faction the name Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and the Football Player symbol.
The rival faction, associated with Arup Roy and Ritabrata Banerjee, received the name Democratic Trinamool Congress and the Envelope symbol.
The arrangements apply ahead of October 6 legislative bypolls, after both factions claimed authority to nominate candidates under the original TMC identity.
Kalyan Banerjee challenged Trinamool workers to gather at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground to demonstrate which faction has greater grassroots support.
The Mamata camp linked the Football Player symbol to its “Khela hobe” slogan, while the rival faction presented “Democratic” as a rejection of personality-driven politics.
- Who
- The two rival Trinamool Congress factions: the Mamata Banerjee-led group and the faction associated with Arup Roy and Ritabrata Banerjee.
- What
- The Election Commission assigned the factions separate temporary names and free symbols for upcoming bypolls.
- When
- The decision was announced on Friday, ahead of October 6 bypolls.
- Where
- The arrangements concern elections in West Bengal and Assam; the factions will operate as regional entities in West Bengal, Meghalaya and Tripura.
- Why
- Both factions submitted competing nomination documents and claimed authority to represent the original All India Trinamool Congress.
Mamata-led faction
Democratic Trinamool faction
Party identity
Mamata-led faction
The faction presents Mamata Banerjee as inseparable from the Trinamool Congress she founded and says her name helps voters identify its ticket.
Democratic Trinamool faction
The faction says the word “Democratic” represents collective decision-making and rejects party ownership or personality-driven politics.
Meaning of the symbol
Mamata-led faction
Supporters say the Football Player symbol is dynamic, culturally connected to Bengal and linked to the “Khela hobe” slogan.
Democratic Trinamool faction
The Envelope symbol was accepted as the faction’s first choice, but the group’s public argument focuses more on democratic organisation than on symbolic appeal.
Grassroots strength
Mamata-led faction
Kalyan Banerjee challenged workers to demonstrate at Brigade Parade Ground that the Mamata camp commands greater support.
Democratic Trinamool faction
The faction disputes the concentration of authority around Mamata Banerjee and claims an organisational identity based on collective leadership.
- Mamata faction
- Mamata All India Trinamool Congress
- Mamata faction symbol
- Football Player
- Rival faction
- Democratic Trinamool Congress
- Rival faction symbol
- Envelope
- Original identity
- The legacy All India Trinamool Congress name and Flowers and Grass symbol were frozen on an interim basis, according to one report.
- Upcoming polls
- October 6 legislative bypolls
- Disputed constituencies
- Nandigram and Rejinagar in West Bengal, and Nagaon in Assam, according to one report.
