Kolkata: The Election Commission has allotted separate interim names and symbols to the two rival Trinamool Congress factions ahead of the October 6 West Bengal Assembly bypolls.
The faction led by Mamata Banerjee has been named Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and allotted the football player symbol. The rival camp has been given the name Democratic Trinamool Congress and the envelope symbol. The arrangements are temporary and will apply to the upcoming bypolls.
The move came a day after the EC barred both factions from using the name All India Trinamool Congress and its traditional Flowers and Grass symbol. The Commission said the dispute over control of the party requires a substantive determination under Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbols Order, 1968.
The rival groups had been asked to submit three preferred names and symbols by September 18, following the interim freeze.
The Mamata camp has objected to the EC’s decision, while the rival faction has accepted the temporary arrangement. The final decision on which faction can use the original party name and symbol is yet to be taken.