The Commission’s interim order, issued on September 17, bars both the All India Trinamool Congress name and its Flowers‑and‑Grass emblem from appearing on ballots in the October 6 bypolls that will be held in West Bengal’s Nandigram and Rejinagar, as well as a handful of other constituencies.
The decision follows a bitter split that erupted after a special party session in Kolkata on June 22, 2026, when Ritabrata Banerjee’s group elected Arup Roy as chair of the National Working Committee, claiming that the prior committee’s tenure had lapsed on February 11, 2025. “The committee’s term had expired, so the new leadership is legitimate,” Banerjee told the Commission.
Mamata Banerjee, the party’s founder and former chief minister, rejected the June 22 decision. “The rival faction’s actions are unconstitutional,” she said during a press briefing on Sunday, citing amendments that she argues were made without proper constitutional backing.
Under Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, the Commission must decide which faction truly represents the recognised party. Both groups have been asked to submit three preferred names and symbols by 11 a.m. on September 18, a deadline that has left local workers scrambling. A Nandigram resident, Bina Mukherjee, told reporters she feels torn over which banner to support as the community’s vote splits.
The Commission will hold a substantive determination in the coming weeks, likely before the October 6 polling date. Until then, the parties are barred from using the party name or emblem, and voters face a split ballot that could fragment the TMC vote.