New Delhi [India], September 17 (ANI): West Bengal Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee on Thursday said the Election Commission of India must take the final decision on allotment of the Trinamool Congress' name and election symbol, as rival factions have submitted Forms A and B ahead of the Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly by-elections.
"We met the Election Commission's full bench today. We presented our arguments and addressed the queries raised regarding the by-elections in Rejinagar and Nandigram," Ritabrata Banerjee told reporters in Delhi.
"Yesterday was the deadline for filing nominations for these by-elections, and scrutiny took place today, so the issue of symbol allotment is now pending. We have submitted Forms A and B; however, Forms A and B have also been submitted from Kalighat, so the Election Commission must make the final decision," he said.
Ritabrata said his delegation was representing the Trinamool Congress and had submitted Form A to the poll panel.
"We are representing the Trinamool Congress and have submitted Form A. The process now lies with the Election Commission and the Returning Officer, who will likely make a decision after consulting the Commission," he said.
"The Election Commission is the apex body; we must have faith in it. We operate within a parliamentary democracy, so we have to trust the Election Commission," he added.
The remarks came amid an ongoing dispute between two factions of the Trinamool Congress over the party's name, organisational control and election symbol ahead of the October 6 by-elections in Nandigram and Rejinagar. The Election Commission heard the rival factions on Thursday after seeking their final submissions.
Ritabrata, who heads the faction challenging the Mamata Banerjee-led camp, had earlier clarified that there was no meeting scheduled with the Election Commission on September 16 or 17 initially and that his delegation was called by the poll panel after submitting the final documents as instructed.
"There was some misunderstanding regarding what information the Election Commission of India had sought. Someone had incorrectly written that there was a meeting scheduled for September 16 and 17, and the media also reported it," he had said.
"There was never any meeting scheduled for September 16 or 17. We submitted the final documents by 3 PM on September 16, as instructed. We were told that if required, we would be called again, and we have now been called. Our delegation is going there. We will meet the Election Commission of India as we have been invited to do so," he had added.
The delegation led by Ritabrata included Akhruzzaman, Arup Roy, Chandrima Bhattacharya and Riju Datta.
The dispute has intensified with the two factions fielding candidates for the upcoming bypolls and staking claims to the TMC's traditional election symbol. Both camps have submitted documents before the poll panel in support of their respective claims.
The Nandigram bypoll was necessitated after Suvendu Adhikari vacated the seat and retained Bhabanipur, where he defeated TMC chief Mamata Banerjee in the 2026 Assembly elections. The Rejinagar seat fell vacant following the resignation of Aam Janata Unnayan Party founder Humayun Kabir, who had also won from Nowda.
Polling for the two by-elections is scheduled for October 6, while counting of votes will take place on October 9. The Election Commission has scheduled the completion of the entire election process before October 11. (ANI)
ECI must make final decision on TMC symbol allotment: West Bengal LoP Ritabrata Banerjee
