Election Commission freezes Trinamool Congress name and symbol

The Election Commission has frozen the name and symbol of the All India Trinamool Congress, the party founded by Mamata Banerjee, in an interim order issued after separate hearings with two rival factions.

Meetings were held with representatives of the "Kalighat Trinamool" and the "Ritobroto Trinamool" before the order was passed. The interim direction freezes both the party's name and its twin-flower symbol for the time being.

The development comes ahead of by-elections in Nandigram and Rejinagar. With the name and symbol no longer available, both camps will have to contest the upcoming polls using symbols from the Commission's list of free symbols.

Banerjee formed the Trinamool after leaving the Congress in 1998, building the organisation from the ground up. The party's symbol was drawn by her. The interim order means the former West Bengal chief minister has, for now, lost control of both the party's name and its emblem.

The matter remains before the Commission, and further proceedings are expected as the by-election schedule advances.