&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Who will get TMC's twin-flower election symbol? Shiv Sena's case offers clues | WION Decodes")
The crack in Trinamool Congress has reached Election Commission's doors as both the factions approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) to claim the election symbol - two flowers. Both camps are claiming to represent the ‘real’ Trinamool Congress and now want the official symbol to be allotted to them. First, rebel MLAs visited the office of the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer and submitted a letter seeking recognition as the official party and rights over the “jora ghash phool" or twin-flower election symbol. In response, Mamata Banerjee submitted a separate list to the Election Commission, asserting that her faction remains the legitimate TMC. This is similar to political battle in Maharashtra involving the Shiv Sena.
What's happening in TMC?
The latest move came after rebel camp removed Mamata Banerjee as the party chairperson and appointed a new national working committee. Claiming the support of 65 of the party’s 80 legislators, the group voted by voice vote to remove Mamata Banerjee from the post of chairperson.The legislators elected Howrah Central MLA Arup Roy as the new party chief. Roy served as a minister in the Trinamool Congress government from 2011 to 2026. In Mamata's list to EC, she is the chairperson, Abhishek Banerjee is national general secretary and Lok Sabha leader, Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen are joint secretaries, Subhashish Chakraborty is mentioned as treasurer and Sovondeb Chatterjee as leader in the Assembly. The crack in TMC was out in open after the party lost the election. Ritabrata claimed that he and other members of the party were not contacted in selection process of the Leader of Assembly. Ritabrata was expelled from the party, but he and other TMC leaders claimed that they are the “real TMC.”
What happened during Shiv Sena's case?
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In February 2023, the ECI under Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968 recognized the faction led by then Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as the "real" Shiv Sena and officially allotted them the party name and the "Bow and Arrow" symbol. The ECI relied heavily on the numerical strength of elected representatives (legislative majority), noting that Shinde's faction commanded the support of roughly 76 per cent of the undivided Shiv Sena's MLAs and MPs.
How it applies on TMC?
In TMC's case, the legal precedents set in the Shiv Sena case applies because it provides a strict legal roadmap for how party control, symbols, and MLA disqualifications must be decided under Indian constitutional law. If a rival faction within the TMC claims to be the "real" party, the battle will be governed by the following three legal boundaries established by the SC and EC. The ECI can decide who gets the TMC name and "Twin Flowers" symbol while the Speaker simultaneously decides whether the rebel MLAs should be disqualified. The ECI looks at the majority of elected representatives (MLAs and MPs). The rebels hold a strong position here, claiming the support of 65 out of 80 TMC MLAs in West Bengal and 20 out of 28 Lok Sabha MPs.
