‘BJP, Election Commission splitting parties’: Rahul Gandhi on TMC symbol row

“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,” Gandhi said in a post on X.

“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. The ECI’s constitutional responsibility is to protect the mandate—but instead, it’s aiding those very forces that overturn the people’s verdict,” he added.

“This fight isn’t just Mamata Banerjee’s. It’s the fight of every political party, every voter who wants free and fair elections.”

Meanwhile, Yadav cited a media report which stated that both factions had been allotted separate symbols.

“If the Election Commission takes decisions to empower democratic values, it will enhance its prestige and honour. And there’s nothing more to say… just this question: Have the affidavits we submitted to the Election Commission been received?” the SP leader asked.

What the EC order on TMC name and symbol said

EC cited Para 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation & Allotment) Order, 1968, the statutory provision governing split disputes in registered political parties, and said the dispute requires substantive determination.

Because of the tight timelines before the by-elections, the EC said it would not be possible to resolve the underlying dispute immediately. To maintain neutrality and follow precedent, neither group will be allowed to use the TMC name or its registered symbol.

Both groups have been directed to submit preferred interim names. These may include a reference to the parent party. They have also been asked to select alternate choices from the EC’s list of free symbols by Friday.

During hearings held earlier on Thursday, the Mamata Banerjee faction, represented by MP Kalyan Banerjee, urged the EC not to pass any interim orders freezing party assets or identifiers.

The Arup Roy-led faction, represented by Bengal Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee, pushed its claim as the legitimate party leadership and asked the symbol and name to be allotted to them.

How the Trinamool Congress split

The rift within the TMC surfaced shortly after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the West Bengal Assembly Elections in May.

On June 3, approximately 60 out of 80 Trinamool Congress MLAs revolted against the central leadership. They chose Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of the Opposition. The Assembly Speaker recognised the demand, and the rebel group declared Arup Roy as the party chairperson.

In Lok Sabha, 20 out of Mamata Banerjee’s 28 MPs broke away to merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).

Ritabrata Banerjee informed EC on June 23 that the mandate of the national working committee expired on February 11, 2025. This meant it lacked the authority to make decisions. He said a special party session was held on June 22 and Arup Roy was unanimously elected chairperson.

Mamata, on the other hand, has maintained that the party constitution filed with the EC on March 9 establishes a five-year tenure for office-bearers. Since the last internal elections were conducted in 2022, she argued, her committee’s term remains valid through 2027.