Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has slammed the Election Commission of India, alleging that the poll body and the BJP are colluding to split parties and snatch their election symbols. His allegations come a day after the Election Commission ordered a freeze on the name and election symbol of the All India Trinamool Congress, and directed the two rival factions to select new names and symbols until the dispute is resolved. The factions are being led by Mamata Banerjee and Arup Roy.

The EC’s decision comes with barely two weeks left for the bypolls in two Assembly constituencies in West Bengal — Nandigram and Rejinagar.

Rahul Gandhi on Friday said in an X post: “First Shiv Sena, then NCP, and now Trinamool Congress. Every time, the same pattern—BJP and the Election Commission join forces to split a party. Then its election symbol is snatched away. When an entire party can be stolen, it’s hardly surprising that the votes of millions of Indians can be stolen, too.”

Story continues below.
Subscribe to see fewer ads.

“Vote theft. Government theft. Now party theft—these have become symbols of our democratic decline. The ECI’s constitutional responsibility is to protect the mandate—but instead, it’s aiding those very forces that overturn the people’s verdict. This fight isn’t just Mamata Banerjee’s. It’s the fight of every political party, every voter who wants free and fair elections,” Gandhi added.

What the EC order on TMC name and symbol said

The EC cited Para 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation & Allotment) Order, 1968-the statutory provision governing split disputes in registered political parties, stating that the dispute requires substantive determination. Due to tight timelines before the byelections, the EC said, it would not be possible to resolve the underlying dispute immediately. To maintain neutrality and adhere to precedents, neither group will be allowed to use the TMC name or its registered symbol.

Both groups have been directed to submit preferred interim names. These may include a reference to the parent party. They have also been asked to select alternate choices from the EC’s list of free symbols by Friday.

During hearings held earlier on Thursday, the Mamata Banerjee faction, represented by MP Kalyan Banerjee, urged the EC not to pass any interim orders freezing party assets or identifiers.

Story continues below this ad

The Arup Roy-led faction, represented by Bengal Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee, pushed its claim as the legitimate party leadership and asked the symbol and name to be allotted to them.

How the Trinamool Congress split

The rift within the party surfaced shortly after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the West Bengal Assembly Elections in May. A few days, On June 3, approximately 60 out of 80 Trinamool Congress MLAs revolted against the central leadership. They chose Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of the Opposition. The demand was recognised by the Assembly Speaker and the rebel group declared Arup Roy as the party chairperson.

In the Lok Sabha, 20 out of Mamata Banerjee’s 28 MPs broke away to merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).

Ritabrata Banerjee informed the EC on June 23 that the mandate of the national working committee expired on February 11, 2025. This meant that it did not have the authority to take decisions. He said a special party session was held on June 22 and Arup Roy was unanimously elected chairperson.

Story continues below this ad

Mamata, on the other hand, has maintained that the party constitution filed with the EC on March 9 establishes a five-year tenure for office-bearers. Since the last internal elections were conducted in 2022, she argued, her committee’s term remains valid through 2027.