EC Allots Mamata Faction New Name and Football Player Symbol as Nandigram Bypoll Takes Fresh Turn
The Election Commission’s interim freeze on the Trinamool Congress name and ‘Flowers and Grass’ symbol has pushed rival factions to temporary identities. Mamata Banerjee has challenged the order in the Supreme Court, while the October 6 Nandigram bypoll has been further complicated by the withdrawal
the Election Commission’s interim freeze on the Trinamool Congress identity and the unfolding Nandigram bypoll contest
Table of Contents (15 sections)
West Bengal’s Trinamool Congress dispute has entered a new legal and electoral phase, with the Election Commission assigning temporary names and symbols to the party’s rival factions while a separate sequence of developments has transformed the contest for the politically sensitive Nandigram Assembly seat.
The Election Commission of India issued an interim order on September 17 freezing the “All India Trinamool Congress” name and the party’s reserved “Flowers and Grass” symbol after concluding that two rival groups were claiming to represent the party.
The Commission has not yet made a final determination over which faction is entitled to the original TMC identity. Its present arrangement is temporary and is intended to allow the rival groups to participate in the upcoming bypolls while the larger dispute remains under consideration.
The Mamata Banerjee-led faction complied with the Commission’s direction to provide alternative choices but registered a “strong protest” against the freeze.
It subsequently received the name “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” and the election symbol of a “Football Player”.
The rival faction headed organisationally by Arup Roy, with Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee prominently representing the group in the dispute, has been allotted the name “Democratic Trinamool Congress” and the “Envelope” symbol.
Recommended Reading
Related Stories & In-Depth Guides
Curated editorial perspectives matching this topic.
Neither the Mamata Banerjee group nor the rival faction formally represented before the Election Commission by Arup Roy can use the All India Trinamool Congress name or its reserved symbol in the October 6 bypolls. The order is temporary while the ECI decides the larger party-control dispute under P
The 18th BRICS Summit concluded in New Delhi with leaders adopting the New Delhi Declaration by consensus, as India handed the chairship to China for 2027.
The dispute has now reached the Supreme Court, even as developments in Nandigram have added another layer of uncertainty ahead of polling on October 6.
Key Takeaways
The Election Commission temporarily froze the name “All India Trinamool Congress” and its reserved “Flowers and Grass” symbol amid competing claims from rival factions.
Mamata Banerjee’s group submitted alternative names and sports-related symbols while formally protesting the interim order.
The EC subsequently allotted her faction the temporary name “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” and the “Football Player” symbol.
The rival Arup Roy camp was allotted “Democratic Trinamool Congress” and the “Envelope” symbol.
Mamata Banerjee has moved the Supreme Court challenging the EC’s freeze.
Her faction’s Nandigram candidate, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, withdrew from the October 6 bypoll.
Banerjee then announced support for Congress candidate Milan Pradhan, who was arrested hours later in connection with an old case linked to the 2007 Nandigram land agitation.
Congress and Banerjee have questioned the timing of the arrest; the BJP has rejected allegations of political interference.
Why the Election Commission Froze the TMC Name and Symbol
The Election Commission’s order followed a prolonged struggle over control of the Trinamool Congress.
According to the Commission’s interim finding, there are two rival groups within the party — one led by Mamata Banerjee and another led by Arup Roy — with each claiming the right to represent the organisation.
The poll panel said the dispute requires a substantive determination under Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968. Until that process is concluded, neither group can use the original party name or its reserved “Flowers and Grass” symbol.
The distinction is important.
The Commission has not permanently awarded the original TMC name or symbol to either side. The freeze is an interim arrangement pending a final decision on the rival claims.
This means the new names and symbols currently assigned to the two factions should not be described as a permanent division of the original party.
What Mamata Banerjee’s Faction Submitted
After the interim freeze, the Election Commission asked both sides to submit preferred alternative names and free election symbols.
The Mamata Banerjee camp submitted three proposed names and two symbol choices.
Reporting based on sources familiar with the submission confirmed “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” as one of the proposed names. Its two symbol preferences were sports-related, with a football option and a cricket bat option reported.
The faction made the submission while continuing to object to the EC’s underlying decision.
The Election Commission ultimately accepted “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” and allotted the “Football Player” symbol to the group.
The Arup Roy-led rival camp had proposed alternatives including “Nationalist Trinamool Congress” and “Democratic Trinamool Congress”, along with symbols including an envelope, blackboard and torch. The Commission eventually approved “Democratic Trinamool Congress” and the “Envelope” symbol.
Mamata Banerjee Challenges Freeze in Supreme Court
Mamata Banerjee has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission’s interim order.
Her petition contests the decision preventing her faction from using the original “All India Trinamool Congress” name and the traditional party symbol.
The plea argues, among other things, that the Election Commission did not adequately consider the party’s organisational structure before imposing the interim arrangement, according to reports on the petition.
The legal challenge means that two separate processes are now running in parallel.
The Election Commission is dealing with the competing organisational claims under election-symbol rules, while the Supreme Court has been approached against the interim freeze itself.
Until there is a judicial intervention or a final Election Commission determination, the temporary names and symbols remain the operative arrangement for the bypoll process.
Nandigram Contest Changes After Mamata Faction Candidate Withdraws
The dispute over the TMC identity is unfolding alongside an unusually fluid contest in Nandigram.
Polling in Nandigram and Rejinagar is scheduled for October 6, with counting on October 9.
The Nandigram bypoll became necessary after Suvendu Adhikari, who won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election, retained Bhabanipur and vacated Nandigram.
The Mamata Banerjee faction had fielded Sanchita Pradhan Dey from Nandigram.
However, she withdrew her candidature on September 18 after meeting West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
The reasons for her decision were not immediately established independently.
Her withdrawal left the Mamata-led faction without its own candidate in the constituency.
Mamata Announces Support for Congress Candidate
Following Sanchita Pradhan Dey’s withdrawal, Mamata Banerjee announced that her faction would support Congress nominee Milan Pradhan.
Banerjee presented the decision as an effort to strengthen opposition cooperation and the INDIA bloc.
She described Congress as a “sister party” while announcing the support.
Congress, however, has maintained its own position on the development.
Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the party had not requested support from Banerjee’s faction and characterised her announcement as her own political decision.
That distinction is relevant because support announced by one party does not necessarily mean that a formal electoral alliance or seat-sharing agreement has been reached.
Milan Pradhan Arrested Hours After Support Announcement
Within hours of Banerjee announcing support for Milan Pradhan, police arrested the Congress candidate.
Multiple reports say the arrest relates to an old case connected to the 2007 anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram.
Police sources cited in reports said Pradhan had been named in several cases arising from that period and that an arrest warrant existed against him.
Some reports describe the case involved in Friday’s action as an old murder case.
However, detailed official documentation identifying the exact case number and all applicable legal sections was not publicly established in the reports reviewed at the time of publication.
For that reason, it is more accurate to state that Pradhan was arrested in connection with an old case linked to the 2007 Nandigram agitation rather than making broader claims about his guilt.
An arrest does not establish guilt, and the allegations against him remain subject to the legal process.
Congress Questions Timing of Arrest
Congress leaders have sharply questioned why action against Pradhan took place immediately after Banerjee announced support for him.
West Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar alleged that the action was politically motivated.
Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal also criticised the arrest and accused the BJP of attempting to weaken political opposition in the state.
These are political allegations made by Congress leaders and have not been independently established as fact.
The BJP has rejected claims that the arrest was politically motivated.
According to reports, BJP representatives maintained that police were acting according to law and denied a political connection with the action against the Congress candidate.
Mamata Banerjee Also Questions the Timing
Banerjee similarly questioned the timing of the police action.
She argued that the arrest taking place shortly after her faction declared support for Pradhan raised questions and accused the BJP of engaging in political vendetta.
Again, those remarks represent Banerjee’s allegation and should not be presented as a proven explanation for the police action.
No evidence cited in the available reports establishes that the arrest was ordered by the BJP because of Banerjee’s endorsement.
What is established is the sequence: Banerjee’s faction lost its own candidate through withdrawal, Banerjee publicly backed the Congress nominee, and the Congress candidate was taken into custody later that day in connection with an old case.
Why Milan Pradhan’s 2007 Link Matters
Milan Pradhan is not a newcomer to Nandigram politics.
He was associated with the resistance to land acquisition in Nandigram during the 2007 movement, a political confrontation that became a defining event in modern West Bengal politics.
The Nandigram movement significantly strengthened Mamata Banerjee’s campaign against the then-Left Front government and contributed to the political momentum that ultimately brought the Trinamool Congress to power in West Bengal in 2011.
Pradhan’s name had previously surfaced in legal proceedings connected with cases from that period.
Earlier reporting noted that cases involving a number of political activists from different parties were revived after the Calcutta High Court intervened in 2021 and prevented their withdrawal.
That history provides legal context for the current arrest but does not determine Pradhan’s guilt in the case now being pursued.
Why the Nandigram Bypoll Is Politically Important
Nandigram has symbolic importance far beyond the number of voters in a single Assembly constituency.
The seat became one of the central political battlegrounds of the state because of the 2007 land movement and later because of the rivalry between Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari.
Adhikari defeated Banerjee in Nandigram in the 2021 Assembly election.
He again won the constituency in the 2026 Assembly polls before vacating it after also winning Bhabanipur.
The October bypoll is therefore taking place amid several overlapping political conflicts: the TMC factional dispute, the Mamata-Adhikari rivalry, opposition realignment and the controversy surrounding Milan Pradhan’s arrest.
The BJP has fielded Hasirani Rath in the constituency.
The rival Trinamool faction and other political parties also remain in the contest, meaning the final electoral field extends beyond a simple BJP-versus-Congress battle.
What the Temporary TMC Names Actually Mean
The Election Commission’s allocation of “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” and “Democratic Trinamool Congress” should not be interpreted as a final ruling over ownership of the original TMC.
The Commission has explicitly treated the issue as an interim arrangement while the substantive dispute remains unresolved.
Both groups have temporarily been given separate identities to enable them to function in the electoral process.
The Mamata-led faction received the Football Player symbol, while the Arup Roy-led group received the Envelope symbol.
The eventual outcome could still be affected by either the Election Commission’s final ruling or proceedings before the Supreme Court.
What Happens Next
September 19 is the scheduled deadline for withdrawal of nominations in the Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls.
Polling is scheduled for October 6, with counting on October 9.
Attention will now remain on several issues:
whether the Supreme Court grants any relief to Mamata Banerjee’s faction over the TMC name and symbol;
what legal proceedings follow Milan Pradhan’s arrest;
whether he remains able to continue as the Congress candidate;
and how the final candidate list changes after the withdrawal deadline.
Any conclusion about the electoral impact of Pradhan’s arrest would be premature until his legal position and the final list of candidates become clearer.
Bottom Line
The basic facts are now established.
The Election Commission temporarily froze the original Trinamool Congress name and “Flowers and Grass” symbol after determining that rival factions were claiming the party’s identity.
Mamata Banerjee’s faction submitted alternative options under protest and was subsequently allotted the temporary name “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” with the “Football Player” symbol.
The rival Arup Roy-led camp received “Democratic Trinamool Congress” and the “Envelope” symbol.
Banerjee has challenged the freeze before the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, the political contest in Nandigram changed sharply on September 18 when her faction’s candidate withdrew. Banerjee then backed Congress nominee Milan Pradhan, who was arrested hours later in connection with an old case arising from the 2007 Nandigram movement.
Congress and Banerjee have alleged political motivation, while the BJP has denied those charges.
Those competing claims remain allegations.
With polling scheduled for October 6, the Nandigram bypoll is now being shaped simultaneously by an electoral contest, a party-identity dispute, a Supreme Court challenge and a criminal case involving one of the candidates.
Key Takeaway
EC freezes original TMC name and symbol amid factional dispute.
Mamata faction allotted temporary name and Football Player symbol.
Nandigram candidate withdraws; Banerjee backs Congress nominee.
Congress candidate Milan Pradhan arrested hours later in old case.
The Rajatheertha Team publishes news, explainers, guides and updates across India and the world. Our coverage follows Rajatheertha's editorial, verification and corrections standards.
The INDIA bloc has announced nationwide “Save Democracy” marches from Oct. 2–8 over the Election Commission and SIR controversy, with MPs planning an Oct. 6 march to the EC. The BJP has rejected the allegations as political frustration after electoral defeats.
The Supreme Court has directed the Manipur Chief Secretary to provide details of 25 reported unnatural deaths of internally displaced people, including post-mortem findings and preventive measures. Material before the court separately referred to 640 deaths across relief camps in eight districts, of
India and Pakistan have summoned each other's diplomats after BSF personnel killed two Pakistani nationals along the Punjab border on October 2. New Delhi says they were infiltrators posing a security threat, while Islamabad says they were unarmed civilians.
The Mumbai Police Crime Branch has taken over the investigation into the death of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode after his family alleged caste-based harassment and demanded action against those they hold responsible. An IIT Bombay faculty member has been booked for alleged abetment to suicide, whi
New Delhi says its oil sourcing will continue to be guided by energy security, market conditions and diversified supplies after the US Congress cleared legislation allowing President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian energy. The tariffs are not automatic, and th
India and China held their first senior commander-level flag talks in the Arunachal sector ahead of the BRICS Summit, as Xi Jinping’s expected India visit draws attention.
0 Comments