Rahul Gandhi Backs Mamata as EC Freezes TMC Name and Symbol

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has come out in support of former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, as a dispute over the ownership of the Trinamool Congress continues before the Election Commission.

In a post on X, Gandhi pointed to a pattern he said had played out with the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party and now the Trinamool Congress. He alleged that the BJP and the Election Commission join forces to split a party, after which its election symbol is taken away.

"When an entire party can be stolen, it's hardly surprising that the votes of millions of Indians can be stolen too," he said, describing vote theft, government theft and party theft as markers of democratic decline. He argued that the Commission's constitutional duty is to protect the mandate, but that it was instead aiding forces that overturn the people's verdict. The fight, he added, is not just Mamata Banerjee's but that of every party and voter seeking free and fair elections.

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav also weighed in, citing a media report that the two factions had been given separate symbols. He said the Commission's prestige would grow if its decisions empowered democratic values, and asked whether the affidavits his party had submitted had been received.

What the Commission ordered

The Election Commission invoked Para 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, the provision that governs split disputes in registered political parties, and held that the matter requires substantive determination.

With by-elections approaching and the timeline too tight to resolve the underlying dispute at once, the Commission said it would maintain neutrality and follow precedent. Neither group will be permitted to use the Trinamool Congress name or its registered symbol in the interim.

Both sides have been asked to submit preferred interim names, which may include a reference to the parent party, and to pick alternate choices from the Commission's list of free symbols by Friday.

At hearings on Thursday, the Mamata Banerjee faction, represented by MP Kalyan Banerjee, urged the Commission not to pass any interim order freezing party assets or identifiers. The faction led by Arup Roy, represented by Bengal Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee, asserted its claim as the legitimate leadership and sought the name and symbol for itself.

How the split unfolded

The rift in the Trinamool Congress surfaced soon after the BJP won the West Bengal Assembly elections in May. On June 3, around 60 of the party's 80 MLAs revolted against the central leadership and chose Ritabrata Banerjee as Leader of the Opposition. The Assembly Speaker recognised the demand, and the rebel group declared Arup Roy as party chairperson.

In the Lok Sabha, 20 of Mamata Banerjee's 28 MPs broke away to merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India.

Ritabrata Banerjee told the Commission on June 23 that the national working committee's mandate had expired on February 11, 2025, leaving it without authority to take decisions. He said a special party session on June 22 unanimously elected Arup Roy as chairperson.

Mamata Banerjee has maintained that the party constitution filed with the Commission on March 9 provides a five-year tenure for office-bearers. Since internal elections were last held in 2022, she argues, her committee's term remains valid through 2027.