New Delhi, 18 September (H.S.): Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday questioned the Election Commission’s interim decision to bar rival factions of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) from using the party’s name and its reserved election symbol, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the poll panel of working together to weaken opposition parties.

Gandhi said the issue was not limited to West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee, but concerned every political party and voter seeking free and fair elections. In a post on social media platform X, he referred to earlier disputes involving the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), alleging that a similar pattern was now being repeated with the TMC.

Gandhi alleged that parties were first divided and their election symbols subsequently taken away. He said the Election Commission’s constitutional responsibility was to safeguard the electoral mandate, but accused it of assisting forces that, according to him, sought to alter the people’s verdict. These remarks represent Gandhi’s political allegations and have not been independently established.

Earlier, Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal criticised the Election Commission’s action, alleging that measures against opposition parties were weakening democratic institutions.

Congress communications and publicity department chairman Pawan Khera also questioned the decision. He described the freezing of the TMC’s election symbol as inconsistent with the Election Commission’s constitutional responsibilities and argued that the rebel faction had no valid constitutional basis to claim the party symbol.

The Election Commission on Thursday, September 17, issued an interim order preventing both rival TMC factions from using the name “All India Trinamool Congress” and the party’s reserved “Flowers and Grass” symbol for the upcoming by-elections. The order applies to the Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly constituencies in West Bengal, where the bypolls are scheduled for October 6.

The Commission said the measure was intended to place the rival groups on an equal footing while protecting their respective rights and interests until the dispute is resolved. Both factions have been directed to submit three preferred alternative names and three choices of symbols from the Commission’s list of free symbols.

The decision followed an internal dispute over control of the TMC, with two rival groups claiming to represent the legitimate party organisation. The Election Commission said a final determination would require further consideration under the relevant provisions of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.

The dispute intensified after a split emerged within the party organisation. The rival groups subsequently approached the Election Commission seeking recognition, along with control over the party’s name and election symbol.

The latest development comes ahead of the October 6 bypolls, with both factions expected to contest under separate temporary identities unless the dispute is resolved before the elections. The TMC faction led by Mamata Banerjee submitted its alternative choices to the Election Commission on Thursday night, according to reports, while maintaining its opposition to the interim order.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar