The Election Commission of India (ECI) on September 18, 2026, issued an order formally allotting new party names and symbols to the two rival factions of the Trinamool Congress, resolving a dispute that had threatened to derail nominations in three upcoming bypolls.
The Election Commission of India has allotted new names and symbols to the two factions of the All India Trinamool Congress amid an ongoing dispute over the party’s symbol.
The group led by Arup Roy has been allotted the name “Democratic Trinamool Congress” and the “Envelope”… pic.twitter.com/AHT2daUE2f— IANS (@ians_india) September 18, 2026
The crisis began after the ECI, on September 17, froze the “All India Trinamool Congress” name and the party’s “Flowers and Grass” symbol, ruling that neither the faction led by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee nor the rival group led by former minister Arup Roy could use them pending a final determination of their leadership dispute, registered as Dispute Case No. 01 of 2026 under Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation & Allotment) Order, 1968.
With scrutiny of nominations for the 70-Rejinagar and 210-Nandigram Assembly seats in West Bengal, and the 9-Nagaon Lok Sabha seat in Assam, originally due on September 17, both Returning Officers found competing candidates filing Form-B authorisations from each faction for the same seats. The situation, if left unresolved, would have forced rejection of all such nominations and deprived voters of a genuine contest.
To prevent this, the Commission invoked its residuary powers under Article 324 of the Constitution. Arup Roy’s group has been allotted the name “Democratic Trinamool Congress” with an “Envelope” symbol, while Mamata Banerjee’s group will contest as “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” using a “Football Player” symbol, both recognised as parties in West Bengal, Meghalaya and Tripura. Scrutiny of nominations in the three constituencies, deferred to September 18, can now proceed under these designations.
The by-elections, necessitated after TMC’s defeat in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly polls, mark the first major electoral test of the intra-party split, with opposition leaders calling the ECI’s intervention unprecedented and politically significant ahead of the by-poll dates.
