Full Breakdown
Interim Identities for Rival Trinamool Factions Ahead of West Bengal Bypolls
By Drooid · · How we work
Background & Context
The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) has been locked in an internal leadership dispute between former chief minister Mamata Banerjee and former minister Ritabrata Banerjee. Both factions claim to represent the party’s organisational structure and its historic “Flowers & Grass” election symbol. On September 17, 2026, the Election Commission of India (Election Commission of India’s (ECI)) issued an interim order freezing the party’s name and symbol pending a final determination of the competing claims. The panel directed each side to propose alternative names and free symbols so that the upcoming Assembly by-elections could proceed.
Core Event – New Interim Names and Symbols
Following the ECI’s directive, the commission allotted separate interim identities on September 18, 2026:
- Mamata Banerjee’s faction received the name “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” and the football-player symbol.
- Ritabrata Banerjee’s faction was assigned the name “Democratic Trinamool Congress” and the envelope symbol.
These temporary identities will be used for the by-polls scheduled for October 6 in the West Bengal constituencies of Nandigram and Rejinagar.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| September 17, 2026 (occurred) | Poll panel hearing; order that neither faction may use the original AITC name or “Flowers & Grass” symbol. |
| September 17, 2026 (scheduled) | ECI interim order barring use of the name and symbol in the upcoming by-elections. |
| September 18, 2026 (occurred) | Mamata Banerjee files a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the freeze. |
| September 18, 2026 (scheduled) | Supreme Court urged to list the plea urgently; writ petition filed with ECI and Ritabrata Banerjee’s faction as respondents. |
| September 22, 2026 (occurred) | ISF leader Naushad Siddiqui petitions the Calcutta High Court against the ECI’s replacement of the “envelope” symbol with an “almirah”. |
| October 4, 2026 (scheduled) | Campaign period for the Nandigram and Rejinagar by-elections ends. |
| October 6, 2026 (scheduled) | By-polls in Nandigram and Rejinagar are held using the interim symbols. |
Data & Statistics
- Two Assembly seats are at stake: Nandigram and Rejinagar.
- The campaign for these seats will conclude on October 4, two days before voting.
Official Statements & Responses
- The Supreme Court, through Chief Justice D. Y. Kant, indicated that “Both sides will have something to say. We will try to list,” signalling an intention to hear arguments from the rival groups.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Both sides will have something to say. We will try to list.” — CJI Kant
What’s Next
- The Supreme Court is expected to schedule hearings on the petitions filed by Mamata Banerjee and the ISF, which could influence the final adjudication of the original AITC name and “Flowers & Grass” symbol.
- Both factions must intensify voter outreach to associate their new symbols—football player and envelope—with the Trinamool brand before the October 6 by-polls.