India Election Commission Freezes Trinamool Congress Name and Symbol

The Election Commission of India has frozen the name and election symbol of the All India Trinamool Congress party, barring both rival factions from using them in upcoming West Bengal assembly byelections. The interim order, issued Thursday night, applies to the factions led by Mamata Banerjee and Arup Roy, who are locked in a dispute over organizational control and leadership legitimacy. The Commission stated that both groups claim to represent the recognized political party, necessitating a formal adjudication under the Election Symbols Reservation and Allotment Order, 1968. The order prohibits either faction from using the party name "All India Trinamool Congress" or its reserved "Flowers and Grass" symbol during the bypolls scheduled for October 6 in the Nandigram and Rejinagar constituencies. Instead, both camps must choose temporary names and symbols for the election. The Commission has directed each faction to submit three preferred names and three preferred free symbols by 11:00 AM on September 18, 2026. The Commission will approve one name and allot one symbol from the submitted options for each group.