EC summons rival TMC factions to Delhi meet over party symbol dispute

The Election Commission has stepped into the internal feud within the Trinamool Congress, summoning both factions for separate meetings in New Delhi on Saturday. Party chairperson and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, along with rebel leader and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Ritabrata Banerjee, have been asked to appear before the poll panel.

The Commission issued letters to both leaders on Wednesday evening, directing them to attend the meetings at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in Dwarka. Each side has been asked to bring a delegation of five members. Ritabrata's meeting is scheduled for 11 am, followed by Mamata's at noon. Sources indicate the decision was taken after the Commission deliberated on the matter earlier in the day.

The development comes just two days after the EC announced by-polls for five Assembly constituencies, including Nandigram and Rejinagar in West Bengal. The by-elections, slated for October 6, are expected to bring the factional dispute to the fore, particularly over which group gets to use the party's election symbol.

The rift within the TMC widened after the party's defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections in May. The Ritabrata-led faction, claiming the support of two-thirds of the party's MLAs, has asserted that it represents the "real TMC". This group had earlier met the Commission on July 1 to stake its claim over the party. In response, Mamata had rejected the rival faction's assertions, arguing that the organisational appointments made by them in June were invalid since the existing party committees' terms run until 2027.

The Commission is yet to formally register a dispute under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, which would enable it to adjudicate on the control of the party's name and symbol.