Trinamool Name Symbol Combo Frozen, Factions Now in Search of a New Political Logo

The Election Commission has temporarily frozen the name and reserved election symbol of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), directing two rival factions to contest the upcoming West Bengal Assembly by poll under separate names and symbols. The interim arrangement comes amid a dispute over organisational control of the party and will remain in place until the Commission makes a substantive determination under Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbol (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968. The order has barred both factions from using the party name All India Trinamool Congress and its reserved Flowers & Grass symbol for the upcoming by poll in Nandigram and Rejinagar, scheduled for October 6. Both groups had already nominated candidates for the contests. According to the Election Commission, the material submitted by the two side indicates the existence of two rival groups, with each claiming to represent the recognised political party. The Commission said the competing claims require a substantive determination under Paragraph 15, but the limited time available before the by poll made it necessary to introduce an interim arrangement. Under the arrangement, the faction were asked to submit three preferred names and three free symbols for consideration. The Commission would then allot separate names and symbol to the two groups for the by poll. The interim measure is intended to remain in force until the larger dispute over the party identity and electoral symbol is resolved. The decision mark an unusual moment for the party, whose Flowers & Grass symbol has been closely associated with its electoral identity for decades. For the forthcoming contests, however, voters will see the rival groups appearing under alternative identities rather than the established AITC name and symbol. The order has also triggered sharply different reactions from the rival camps. Leaders aligned with Mamata Banerjee rejected the interim decision and questioned its legal basis, while representatives of the opposing faction said they would comply with the Commission's directions and expressed confidence about the eventual outcome of the substantive dispute. For now, the issue is therefore less about a permanent change to the Trinamool Congress identity and more about how the competing factions will participate in the immediate by poll. The final decision on which group, if any, is entitled to use the original party name and reserved symbol remain pending before the Election Commission. The result is an interim political identity reset. the Trinamool name and its familiar symbol are temporarily off the ballot, while the rival factions prepare to enter the by poll under new banners.