HighLights
  1. Rahul Gandhi extended support to Mamata Banerjee, slamming the Election Commission over the order.
  2. The EC yesterday froze the symbol and AITC name, directing the rival factions not to use both in the upcoming bypolls.
  3. While the Mamata Banerjee faction condemned the order, the rebel faction welcomed the move.

TMC Symbol Row: Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Friday went all guns blazing against the Election Commission and the BJP, accusing them of colluding with each other to first split political parties and then snatch their election symbols away, just before elections.

Rahul Gandhi's remarks came a day after the EC froze the election symbol of the Trinamool Congress and barred both factions from using its name for the upcoming bypolls in West Bengal.

Rahul Gandhi expressed firm support for Mamata Banerjee, saying that after "vote chori" and "government chori", now "party chori" was taking place. Gandhi asserted that "this fight isn't just Mamata Banerjee's but it is the fight of every political party, every voter who wants free and fair elections."

ALSO READ: Mamata All India Trinamool Congress vs Democratic Trinamool Congress: Rival TMC Factions Get New Names, Symbols

In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP and ECI of acting in tandem to dismantle opposition forces, saying the poll body's constitutional responsibility is to protect the mandate, but instead it aids the very forces that overturn the people's verdict.

"First Shiv Sena, then NCP, and now Trinamool Congress. Every time, the same pattern -- BJP and the Election Commission join forces to split a party. Then its election symbol is snatched away. When an entire party can be stolen, it's hardly surprising that the votes of millions of Indians can be stolen too. Vote theft. Government theft. Now party theft -- these have become symbols of our democratic decline," he said.

"The ECI's constitutional responsibility is to protect the mandate -- but instead, it's aiding those very forces that overturn the people's verdict. This fight isn't just Mamata Banerjee's. It's the fight of every political party, every voter who wants free and fair elections," the Lok Sabha LoP added.

EC Freezes TMC Symbol And Name

The Election Commission on Thursday issued an interim order, directing the rival factions of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITMC) not to use the party name and symbol during the West Bengal bypolls, scheduled for October 6 in Nandigram and Rejinagar. The EC, while freezing the name and symbol, said that the issue requires substantive determination by the poll body under the provisions of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order 1968.

ALSO READ: No Mamata Banerjee In Bengal Polls After 15 Years As TMC Names Sacked Teacher For Nandigram Bypolls

"Neither of the two groups led by Shri Arup Roy (Petitioner) and the other led by Ms. Mamata Banerjee (Respondent) shall be permitted to use the name of the party All India Trinamool Congress. Neither of the two groups shall also be permitted to use the symbol Flowers and Grass, reserved for All India Trinamool Congress," the Commission said.

Mamata Faction Rejects Order; Ritabrata Hails EC Decision

Soon after the EC issued the order, the Mamata-led faction slammed the poll body, saying that they did not accept the order. "This order is contrary to law. We are not accepting it as there are so many legal infirmities. Facts have not been placed in the order. But at times you have to accept things which may not be in adherence to norms, rules and law for a temporary period," TMC MP and Mamata Banerjee's loyalist, Kalyan Banerjee, said.

ALSO READ: EC Freezes 'Twin Flower' Symbol Amid TMC Rift; Asks Mamata, Ritabrata To Pick New Names And Symbols For Bypolls

Meanwhile, Ritabrata Banerjee, who led the rebellion in TMC and appointed the LoP in the West Bengal Assembly, hailed the EC's decision, asserting that there was "no place for dictatorship" in a democracy. He said a political party could not be run like a private enterprise and asserted that there could be no "heir" to a political organisation.

"One thing is clear: within a democracy, there is no place for dictatorship," he said, adding that the EC's interim order had demonstrated that "there is no room for dynastic politics. A political party is not a private limited company, nor can there be an heir to a political party. This has been proven," Ritabrata Banerjee said.


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