2 hrs ago
Mamata Factions Seek New Names, Symbols After EC Freeze
The Election Commission of India says two groups are claiming to be the real All India Trinamool Congress.
One group is led by Mamata Banerjee, and the other is led by Arup Roy.
Because they are fighting over the party, neither group can currently use the old party name or its flowers-and-grass symbol.
The groups suggested new names and symbols for upcoming elections.
Banerjee’s group suggested a football or cricket bat.
Roy’s group suggested a blackboard, envelope or torch.
The Election Commission will give each group a temporary identity for the bypolls.
Some opposition leaders supported Banerjee, while the rebel group welcomed the decision.
The Election Commission of India froze the All India Trinamool Congress name and “flowers and grass” symbol after recognising rival factions led by Mamata Banerjee and Arup Roy.
The Banerjee faction proposed names including “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” and symbols featuring a football or cricket bat.
The Arup Roy faction proposed Jatiyatabadi Trinamool Congress or Ganatantrik Trinamool Congress, with a blackboard, envelope or torch as symbols.
Both factions submitted candidates for the October 6 bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar and will receive temporary names and symbols.
The rebel faction welcomed the decision, while Banerjee’s supporters called it illegal; Congress, AAP and the Samajwadi Party backed Banerjee.
- Who
- The two rival groups are led by Mamata Banerjee and Arup Roy; the Election Commission of India is handling the dispute.
- What
- The Election Commission froze the All India Trinamool Congress name and symbol and asked both factions to propose temporary alternatives.
- Where
- The dispute concerns the party’s organisation and bypolls in West Bengal, including Nandigram and Rejinagar.
- When
- The interim order was issued on Thursday, and the factions submitted preferences by Friday; the bypolls are scheduled for October 6.
- Why
- The commission said both factions claim to be the party, requiring a substantive determination under the Election Symbols order; temporary identities are needed because both nominated bypoll candidates.
Mamata Banerjee Faction
Arup Roy Faction
Legitimate party identity
Mamata Banerjee Faction
The Banerjee camp continues to present Mamata Banerjee and her established party identity as the basis for its campaign, saying voters trust her face more than symbols.
Arup Roy Faction
The Roy camp argues that the Election Commission’s freeze shows a political party cannot function as a private preserve and describes the contest as one between the collective and a cult.
Election Commission decision
Mamata Banerjee Faction
Banerjee’s loyalists called the decision illegal and said it would affect the faction’s election campaign.
Arup Roy Faction
The rebel faction welcomed the decision and submitted alternative names and symbols for the bypolls.
Support from other parties
Mamata Banerjee Faction
Congress, AAP and the Samajwadi Party publicly criticised or questioned the Election Commission’s action and supported Banerjee.
Arup Roy Faction
The articles do not report comparable support for the Arup Roy faction from those parties.
Key facts
- Party involved
- All India Trinamool Congress
- Factions
- Groups led by Mamata Banerjee and Arup Roy
- Frozen identity
- The party name and “flowers and grass” symbol
- Banerjee faction options
- “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress”; football or cricket bat symbols
- Roy faction options
- Jatiyatabadi Trinamool Congress or Ganatantrik Trinamool Congress; blackboard, envelope or torch symbols
- Upcoming bypolls
- Nandigram and Rejinagar on October 6
- Temporary arrangement
- Each faction will receive a name and symbol from the Election Commission’s free-symbol list until the dispute is resolved
Quotes
Ritabrata Banerjee
Leader of the rebel faction opposing Mamata Banerjee’s group
“First Shiv Sena, then NCP, and now Trinamool Congress. Every time, the same pattern — BJP and the Election Commission join forces to split a party. Then its election symbol is snatched away. When an entire party can be stolen, it’s hardly surprising that the votes of millions of Indians can be stolen too. Vote theft. Government theft. Now party theft – these have become symbols of our democratic decline”
indianexpress.com
“The Election Commission’s decision to freeze name and symbol reflected that a political party cannot be a private limited company. Two bypolls are scheduled to be held shortly. We have sent our alternatives to the Election Commission. It is a fight between the collective and the cult”
indianexpress.com
Election Commission of India
India’s constitutional body overseeing elections and party symbols
“Both the groups shall be known by such names as they may choose for their respective groups, including, if they so desire, linkage with their parent party ‘All India Trinamool Congress’; and both the groups shall also be allotted such different symbols as they may choose from the list of free symbols notified by the Election Commission for the purposes of the current bye-elections”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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