EC decision on TMC symbol row likely on Friday as factions battle for ‘jora phool’
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "EC decision on TMC symbol row likely on Friday as factions battle for ‘jora phool’")
Both TMC factions have expressed faith in the Election Commission as the final arbiter. Photograph: (ANI)
Senior leader Kalyan Banerjee, representing the Mamata camp, countered that the rival faction has no basis for interim relief. He questioned how the other side obtained tickets and contested on the party symbol if the chairperson’s term had allegedly ended in 2025.
The Election Commission of India is expected to decide the bitter contest for the Trinamool Congress name and its iconic ‘jora phool’ (twin-flower) symbol on Friday, sources said, after West Bengal Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee met the full bench in Delhi on Thursday.
Both Ritabrata’s faction and the Mamata Banerjee-led group claim to be the authentic party ahead of the crucial Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls.
Nominations closed Wednesday and scrutiny took place on Thursday, leaving symbol allotment as the immediate flashpoint. Both sides have submitted Forms A and B, forcing the Commission to adjudicate.
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Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Ritabrata Banerjee said, “We met the Election Commission’s full bench today… We presented our arguments and addressed the queries raised regarding the by-elections in Rejinagar and Nandigram. Yesterday was the deadline for filing nominations for these by-elections, and scrutiny took place today, so the issue of symbol allotment is now pending. We have submitted Forms A and B; however, Forms A and B have also been submitted from Kalighat, so the Election Commission must make the final decision.”
“We are representing the Trinamool Congress and have submitted Form A. The process now lies with the Election Commission and the Returning Officer, who will likely make a decision after consulting the Commission… The Election Commission is the apex body; we must have faith in it. We operate within a parliamentary democracy, so we have to trust the Election Commission,” he added.
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Senior leader Kalyan Banerjee, representing the Mamata camp, countered that the rival faction has no basis for interim relief. He questioned how the other side obtained tickets and contested on the party symbol if the chairperson’s term had allegedly ended in 2025. Kalyan stressed that Mamata Banerjee founded the party and the symbol belongs to her side. He argued that any valid election must follow the constitutional hierarchy from booth level upwards and that the claimed 22 June session skipped all processes without notice to MPs. As a multi-state party, AITC requires proper all-India elections, he said, adding that court orders do not bind the Election Commission and the symbol can go only to the authorised faction.
The Kalighat group also proposed that both sides summon their workers to Brigade Parade Ground so the Commission can see the real strength on the ground. They further urged the EC not to issue any interim order on matters already before the courts, noting one cannot approach both forums simultaneously.
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The episode echoes the Shiv Sena split in Maharashtra, where the EC froze the original symbol and allotted temporary names and symbols to both factions. A similar outcome remains possible here.
The Commission’s decision will determine which camp—or neither—gets to contest the bypolls under the familiar ‘Jora Phool’. The ruling carries high political stakes in West Bengal, testing organisational claims and potentially reshaping the opposition landscape ahead of larger electoral battles. Both sides have expressed faith in the EC as the final arbiter.
