Story perspectives

Mamata Banerjee moves Supreme Court over Election Commission freeze

By Drooid · Sep 19, 2026, 4:14 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Mamata Banerjee Challenges EC

Mamata Banerjee petitioned Supreme Court against Election Commission freeze on Trinamool Congress name and symbol.
Commission froze AITC name and ‘Flowers and Grass’ symbol on September 17, barring use in by-elections.
On September 18 the Commission gave Banerjee’s faction ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ and a ‘Football Player’ symbol.
Banerjee’s petition says the Commission relied on rebel legislators’ statements and requests a hearing on September 21.

Summary

EC Enforces Split-Party

The Election Commission applies a split-party rule, using three tests, following the 1969 Indira-Gandhi Congress split precedent.
Mamata Banerjee’s faction says the National Working Committee’s five-year term started in 2006, making the June 22 meeting void.
Ritabrata Banerjee’s group elected Arup Roy chair of a “real TMC” on June 22, claiming the previous committee expired in February 2025.

History

Historical Context

In 1969 the Election Commission formalised a split-party rule after Indira Gandhi’s expulsion split the Indian National Congress into Congress (R) and Congress (O), a division that saw Gandhi’s faction win 352 Lok Sabha seats in the 1971 election. That precedent underpins Mamata Banerjee’s 2024 Supreme Court petition challenging the Commission’s freeze on the Trinamool Congress name, illustrating the rule’s impact on Indian electoral disputes.

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Mamata Banerjee Challenges EC

Mamata Banerjee petitioned Supreme Court against Election Commission freeze on Trinamool Congress name and symbol.
Commission froze AITC name and ‘Flowers and Grass’ symbol on September 17, barring use in by-elections.
On September 18 the Commission gave Banerjee’s faction ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ and a ‘Football Player’ symbol.
Banerjee’s petition says the Commission relied on rebel legislators’ statements and requests a hearing on September 21.

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