Football vs Envelope ! Rival TMC Factions Receive New Election Symbols

Kolkata: The political battle over the identity of the Trinamool Congress has entered a new phase, with the Election Commission of India (ECI) assigning separate names and election symbols to the rival factions led by Mamata Banerjee and Ritabrata Banerjee ahead of the upcoming West Bengal bypolls. According to reports, the Mamata-led faction has been allotted the name “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress (MAITC)” with the “Football Player” symbol, while the Ritabrata-led faction has been given the name “Democratic Trinamool Congress” and the “Envelope” symbol.

The development follows the ECI’s interim decision to freeze the existing “All India Trinamool Congress” name and the party’s “Flowers and Grass” symbol for the rival groups while the dispute over organisational control remains under consideration. The dispute intensified after the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, when rival groups began staking competing claims over the party’s organisational structure, leadership, funds, name and election symbol. The Ritabrata faction approached the ECI claiming recognition as the legitimate Trinamool Congress, while the Mamata-led camp challenged the validity of the rebel group’s organisational moves and maintained that the party’s constitutional processes remained intact.

The rival factions subsequently appeared before the Election Commission and submitted documents and their respective claims. The Commission then directed both sides to submit alternative names and free symbols for the forthcoming bypolls, with the October 6 contests in Nandigram and Rejinagar adding urgency to the dispute. The latest allocation means the two groups will contest upcoming elections under different names and symbols, while the broader dispute over the original TMC identity remains a separate matter before the poll panel.

Please follow and like us: