Mamata Banerjee's party, rebels get new name, symbol

Mamata Banerjee faction claims EC order on TMC name, symbol 'contrary to law' while rebel camp welcomes EC's decision. Earlier, The Election Commission has allotted separate names and election symbols to the two rival Trinamool Congress factions led by TMC founder and former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and present leader of the opposition (LoP) in the Bengal assembly, Ritabrata Banerjee. Mamata Banerjee led Trinamool Congress allotted the name 'Mamata All India Trinamool Congress'(MAITC) and the symbol 'Football Player', to be treated as a recognized political party in the States of West Bengal, Meghalaya and Tripura. The group led by Arup Roy is allotted the name 'Democratic Trinamool Congress' and the symbol of 'Envelope'.

#MamataBanerjee led party is now Mamata All India Trinamool Congress (MAITC) while Rebel group will be called democratic TMC with 'Envelope' symbol. ECI has allotted 'Football player' to MAITC as election symbol. pic.twitter.com/vU6vSDXagr

— newsinc24 (@newsinc24) September 18, 2026

West Bengal LoP Ritabrata Banerjee said, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress highlights the nature of a party driven by an individual cult. In politics, concepts like 'private limited companies' or 'dynastic heirs' hold no meaning; there is no such thing as ownership in the political system. However, regarding the election symbol, we received our top priority. It is not for me to comment on the wisdom of the Election Commission, he said.

#WATCH | Kolkata: On EC's verdict on TMC party name and symbol, West Bengal LoP Ritabrata Banerjee says, "We make decisions collectively... We started reaching out to people just last night, and a virtual meeting took place this morning. We had submitted three preferences: first,… pic.twitter.com/kBJ0mP3u9O

— ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2026

The ECI on Thursday prohibited both factions from using the party name and its reserved "Flowers and Grass" symbol in the October 6 bypolls to West Bengal’s Nandigram and Rejinagar assembly constituencies, as well as Assam’s Nagaon parliamentary seat. The poll body said the temporary arrangement was intended to keep "both the rival groups on even keel and to protect their rights and interests" until it issues its final ruling. The rival factions had previously filed separate Form-B nomination documents, each claiming the TMC name, for the by-elections in West Bengal and Assam.
Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi criticised the ECI's decision, alleging that the BJP and the poll panel were collaborating to undermine opposition parties. He described the development as "party theft" and linked it to what he called India's continuing democratic decline. Gandhi alleged that the BJP and the ECI had used a similar approach in disputes concerning the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and, most recently, the Trinamool Congress.