New Delhi [India], September 12 (ANI): The rebel faction of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by West Bengal Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee, on Saturday said he was "100 per cent optimistic" about the faction's prospects in the ongoing election symbol dispute.
Speaking to ANI, Banerjee said the discussions were "very fruitful" but declined to disclose details of the meeting.
"I cannot disclose what talks happened; it was very fruitful. They had many queries; we answered them and showed some documents. They had asked for those documents to be submitted. We will be doing that. So we are hopeful because we are the TMC," he said.
Referring to the faction's political standing in West Bengal, Banerjee said, "There is a saying now in Bengal politics: 'Na khata na bahi, jo Mamata Banerjee kahe wahi sahi'. That's how everything was going. We are hopeful."
He added that as a democratic organisation, the rebel faction of the TMC would comply with all documentation requirements.
On the possibility of a by-election in Nandigram, Banerjee said his faction wanted West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to remain part of the state Assembly and had more or less finalised its candidate.
"Mamata Banerjee has never won any direct Assembly election. She is very comfortable with by-elections... In 2021, it was again a by-election because she got defeated in Nandigram. So this time too, she has been defeated," he said.
He further claimed that even members of Banerjee's family did not vote for her.
"We want Mamata Banerjee to be a part of the Assembly, so we have decided more or less on our candidate; only the announcement is due. If, even after the announcement, Mamata Banerjee expresses a desire to fight as an independent, we will withdraw our candidate in our support," he said.
Earlier, a five-member delegation representing the rebel faction of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by West Bengal Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee, arrived at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in Delhi on Saturday for a meeting with the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Banerjee heads a group of around 60 of the 80 newly elected TMC MLAs who distanced themselves from former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after the party's defeat to the BJP in the Assembly polls held in April.
Both factions have staked claim to being the “real” Trinamool Congress and approached the Election Commission seeking recognition as the party's legitimate leadership.
On Wedneday, the ECI had written to Ritabrata Banerjee regarding representations concerning the TMC amid a dispute over the party's name, election symbol and funds between the Mamata Banerjee-led faction and the faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee.
In its letter to Ritabrata Banerjee, the ECI said, "The Commission has decided to give an appointment to your delegation comprising of five members for a meeting on 12.09.2026 (Saturday) at 11:00 AM" at the India International Institute of Democracy & Election Management (IIIDEM), Sector-13, Dwarka, Delhi.
The ECI's meeting with the Banerjee-led delegation comes ahead of the September 16 deadline for filing nominations for the Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls in West Bengal.
The polling will be conducted on October 6 (Tuesday), and the counting of votes will take place on October 9 (Friday). The Commission stated that the entire election process is slated for completion before October 11, 2026.
In West Bengal, bypolls were necessitated in Rejinagar and Nandigram following the resignations of Humayun Kabir and Suvendu Adhikari, respectively. (ANI)
"100% optimistic’ about symbol fight": Rebel TMC leader Ritabrata Banerjee
