Mamata Banerjee has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission’s decision to freeze the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) name and its traditional “Flowers and Grass” symbol ahead of the October 6 bypolls. The ECI took the interim step amid an organisational dispute between rival factions claiming control over the party’s identity and electoral symbol.
For the upcoming bypolls, the Mamata Banerjee-led faction has been allotted the name “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” and the “Football Player” symbol, while the rival faction has been assigned “Democratic Trinamool Congress” and the “Envelope” symbol. The original TMC name and “Flowers and Grass” symbol remain frozen rather than being permanently allotted to either faction.
Banerjee’s Supreme Court challenge seeks to contest the ECI’s interim arrangement and restore her faction’s use of the original party name and traditional symbol. The broader dispute over the TMC’s official identity remains unresolved, with the court proceedings now adding a legal dimension to the ongoing organisational conflict ahead of the bypolls.
