New Delhi, September 2026 : Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee has approached the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) interim decision to freeze the party’s name and its reserved ‘Flowers and Grass’ election symbol amid an ongoing dispute between rival factions.
The petition, filed on Friday, has been registered under Diary No. 58005/2026. Mamata Banerjee is the petitioner, while the Election Commission of India, its Secretary and rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee have been named as respondents.
The legal challenge came a day after the poll panel barred both factions from using the ‘All India Trinamool Congress’ name and the party’s reserved ‘Flowers and Grass’ symbol for the forthcoming by-elections. The ECI said the dispute involved two rival groups claiming to represent the party and required a substantive determination under Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
The Commission’s interim arrangement was intended to keep the two groups on an equal footing and protect their respective rights and interests until a final decision is taken. Both factions were asked to submit alternative names and symbols for the by-elections.
The dispute has immediate electoral implications, with West Bengal’s Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly constituencies scheduled for by-elections on October 6. The Election Commission subsequently allotted the Mamata Banerjee-led faction the name ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ and the ‘Football Player’ symbol. The rival faction was allotted the name ‘Democratic Trinamool Congress’ and the ‘Envelope’ symbol.
The Mamata-led faction has opposed the ECI’s interim order and maintained its claim over the party’s organisational identity. The rival camp, led by Ritabrata Banerjee, has also claimed control over organisational and legislative structures, leading to a prolonged internal dispute.
The conflict has extended beyond the party organisation and into Parliament. Twenty rebel TMC Lok Sabha MPs have broken away and aligned themselves with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), claiming recognition as a separate parliamentary group.
The Mamata-led faction has challenged the delay by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in deciding disqualification petitions against the 20 MPs under the anti-defection law. On August 25, the Supreme Court issued notices to the rebel MPs on a petition filed by TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, while no notice was issued to the Lok Sabha Speaker at that stage.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Speaker, informed the court that notices had already been issued to the 20 MPs as part of the disqualification proceedings. The Supreme Court subsequently sought responses from the rebel legislators.
The TMC has maintained that the MPs were elected on its symbol and that their subsequent association with another political formation attracts the provisions of the anti-defection law. The rebel faction, however, has claimed the support of more than two-thirds of the party’s Lok Sabha MPs and sought recognition as a separate parliamentary group.
The organisational dispute subsequently reached the Election Commission, with both sides claiming the TMC name and symbol. The poll panel’s interim order has temporarily separated the two factions’ electoral identities pending a substantive determination.
With the Supreme Court challenge now filed and the October 6 by-elections approaching, the dispute over the party’s name, symbol and organisational control is set to continue through both judicial and electoral processes.
