Mamata Banerjee moves Supreme Court against Election Commission freeze on TMC name and symbol

ElevenAM Desk | New Delhi | 19 September 2026 | 4:00 PM IST

Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee has approached the Supreme Court challenging an interim Election Commission order that prevents her faction from using the All India Trinamool Congress name and its reserved Flowers and Grass election symbol amid a dispute over control of the party.

The Election Commission passed the interim order after rival factions asserted competing claims over the party’s organisational leadership, name and symbol. The arrangement applies ahead of the West Bengal Assembly by-elections scheduled for October 6.

Under the interim arrangement, neither faction can contest under the original Trinamool Congress identity. Banerjee’s group has been allotted the interim name Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and a Football Player symbol, while the rival group has been assigned the name Democratic Trinamool Congress and an Envelope symbol.

Banerjee’s petition asks the Supreme Court to examine the legality of the Commission’s decision and the consequences of freezing an established party identity while the internal dispute remains unresolved. The case has immediate electoral significance because candidates will need a recognised name and symbol for the approaching bypolls.

The dispute represents an unusually high-stakes test of the Election Commission’s authority in cases where competing groups claim to represent the same recognised political party. Such disputes can involve questions of organisational control, legislative support and the evidence each faction produces to establish continuity with the recognised party structure.

For Banerjee, the issue is also politically symbolic. The Flowers and Grass emblem has been closely associated with the Trinamool Congress for decades and remains a central part of the party’s visual identity among voters.

The Supreme Court challenge now moves the contest from the Election Commission into the judicial arena. Any interim direction from the court could have an immediate bearing on campaign material, candidate identification and the political messaging of both factions ahead of the October by-elections.