Trinamool Congress – Rebel Legislators Set to Present Party Claim Before ECI
Trinamool Congress – A group of 10 legislators aligned with the Ritabrata Banerjee-led dissident camp within the Trinamool Congress legislative party is scheduled to meet the full bench of the Election Commission of India in New Delhi on Thursday. The delegation plans to present its case for control over the party’s name, election symbol and financial assets.
Appointment follows request from dissident camp
The dissident group had earlier sought time with the Commission to explain its position in the dispute. Ritabrata Banerjee said the Election Commission has now agreed to hear the faction’s submissions on Thursday at its headquarters.
Members of the delegation are expected to leave for New Delhi on Wednesday evening. Their meeting comes amid an escalating internal disagreement over leadership and organisational authority within the party.
New committee announced in June
The dispute intensified after the rebel legislators announced the formation of a separate National Working Committee on June 22. The body reportedly includes 30 members, along with a 10-member sub-committee.
According to the rebel faction, former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was removed from the post of national chairperson in the newly announced structure. Senior party legislator Arup Roy was named to lead the committee.
The move widened the divide between the two sides. Representatives of the dissident camp have since submitted resolutions and other legal papers to the Election Commission in support of their claim.
Assembly strength central to competing claims
The Trinamool Congress currently has 80 members in the West Bengal Assembly. The rebel group has claimed the support of 60 legislators, while 20 MLAs remain with the faction led by Mamata Banerjee and supported by her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee.
The numbers are likely to form a major part of the arguments before the Commission. The dissident side maintains that its larger legislative backing gives it a stronger claim to represent the party.
The other faction has not publicly accepted the rebel group’s assertions regarding the split or the authority of the newly formed committee.
Election symbol rules may shape the case
At the centre of the legal dispute is the right to use the Trinamool Congress name and its election symbol. The matter is expected to be examined under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
Under the rules cited by the rebel camp, a regional party must secure at least six per cent of valid votes polled in a state and have a minimum of two MLAs to retain its recognised symbol. In the previous state election, around 6.30 crore votes were cast in West Bengal. Six per cent of that total works out to about 37.80 lakh votes.
The dissident legislators argue that their claimed support base meets this threshold. They estimate that if each of the 60 MLAs associated with their camp received an average of 80,000 votes, their combined vote base would be close to 48 lakh.
Commission expected to hear both sides
The rebel faction has argued that the Mamata Banerjee-led group, with 20 MLAs according to its estimate, would fall short of the vote threshold. However, the final outcome will depend on the Election Commission’s assessment of the documents, party constitution, organisational support and applicable election laws.
The Commission’s hearing on Thursday is expected to be an important step in the continuing contest over the Trinamool Congress’s leadership, identity and electoral symbo