Twin-flower symbol battle heats up! TMC rebel camp to meet EC tomorrow in high-stakes showdown against Mamata faction

The delegation is scheduled to meet Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar after seeking an appointment, amid an escalating dispute over the party's leadership, organisation and election symbol.

The meeting comes as rival factions continue to stake a claim to being the "real" All India Trinamool Congress, with both camps seeking recognition from the Election Commission.

Both factions claim control of the party

The political confrontation intensified after the camps led by Mamata Banerjee and Ritabrata Banerjee separately submitted their respective national working committee lists to the Election Commission.

Both groups have claimed legitimacy over the party's organisational structure, name and the iconic "jora ghash phool" (twin-flower) election symbol, raising the possibility of an official adjudication by the poll panel.

Earlier this week, rebel MLAs convened a special meeting at a hotel in New Town, Kolkata, where they adopted a voice vote removing Mamata Banerjee as the party chairperson.

The legislators elected former minister and Howrah Central MLA Arup Roy as the new party chief.

According to the rebel camp, the three-year tenure of the national working committee constituted in February 2022 had expired, creating what they described as a constitutional vacuum under Article 20 of the party constitution.

On Tuesday, the faction also submitted a representation to the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer seeking formal recognition as the official Trinamool Congress and requesting control of the party's election symbol.

Mamata camp submits separate committee list

In response, the Mamata Banerjee-led camp submitted its own national working committee list to the Election Commission, maintaining that it continues to be the legitimate Trinamool Congress.

The committee names Mamata Banerjee as chairperson, Abhishek Banerjee as national general secretary and Lok Sabha leader, Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen as joint secretaries, Subhashish Chakraborty as treasurer, and Sovondeb Chatterjee as leader in the West Bengal Assembly.

The leadership challenge comes at a time when Mamata Banerjee is also facing internal political turbulence following the emergence of a breakaway group of Lok Sabha MPs aligned with the NDA and the resignation of three Rajya Sabha members.

Rebels seek symbol, finances and organisational control

The Ritabrata Banerjee faction has claimed the support of more than two-thirds of the party's MLAs along with several elected councillors.

Besides seeking recognition, the group has indicated that it will pursue control over the party's organisational assets and election symbol.

The rebels have also demanded an audit of the party's finances. Following their complaint, party bank accounts reportedly containing around Rs 440 crore have been frozen.

Mamata Banerjee loyalists, however, remain confident that they will retain both the party's election symbol and financial control.

Krishnanagar MP Mahua Moitra questioned the rebels' claim over the twin-flower symbol and argued that they should first secure the symbol before constituting a separate national working committee.

She also maintained that, under the party constitution, Mamata Banerjee continues to remain the party chairperson for life.

Commenting on the reported freezing of the party's bank accounts, Moitra questioned the legal process involved and said proper court permission had not been obtained.

Several rebel leaders expelled

The Trinamool Congress has expelled several leaders associated with the breakaway faction, including Arup Roy, along with a number of MLAs and former ministers.

Despite the disciplinary action, the rebel camp has maintained that it enjoys significant numerical support within the legislative party and remains optimistic about securing recognition before the Election Commission.