Congress leader Rahul Gandhi spoke with former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday after the Election Commission of India (ECI) froze the All India Trinamool Congress name and its traditional “Flowers and Grass” symbol ahead of the upcoming state bypolls.
Banerjee later said that she and Gandhi discussed working together against the BJP. She described the conversation by saying, “We are in this together,” while Gandhi reportedly told her that the Congress was ready to provide any assistance required.
The outreach came a day after the ECI barred the rival TMC factions led by Banerjee and Ritabrata Banerjee from using the party’s existing name and symbol for the bypolls.
ECI Allots New Names And Symbols
The Election Commission on Friday allotted separate names and symbols to the two factions.
The Mamata Banerjee-led faction was allotted the name Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and the football player symbol. The rival faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee was allotted the name Democratic Trinamool Congress and the envelope symbol.
The arrangements apply ahead of the October 6 West Bengal bypolls, while the original party name and symbol remain frozen amid the organisational dispute.
Mamata Faction To Back Congress In Nandigram
The developments also coincided with a change in the electoral contest in Nandigram.
Banerjee’s faction announced that it would support the Congress candidate in the October 6 Nandigram bypoll after its candidate, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, withdrew her nomination.
Banerjee said her faction would work with the Congress in the current political situation, while also indicating that the Congress had extended support over the dispute concerning the TMC’s name and symbol.
Rahul Gandhi Criticises ECI Decision
Gandhi subsequently criticised the Election Commission’s handling of the TMC dispute. He alleged that the BJP and the ECI were working together to weaken opposition parties and questioned the poll panel’s role in protecting electoral mandates.
These were Gandhi’s political allegations and were not established as findings of the Election Commission or a court.
Other opposition leaders also criticised the ECI order. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav questioned whether the poll panel’s decisions were strengthening democratic institutions.
BJP Responds To Rahul Gandhi
The BJP rejected Gandhi’s allegations.
BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi argued that Gandhi’s criticism overlooked the history of political splits involving parties that emerged from the Congress. He cited the formation of the NCP and Trinamool Congress as examples.
Trivedi also defended the BJP against Gandhi’s allegation that it was working with the ECI to split opposition parties.
The competing claims come amid an ongoing dispute over control of the TMC, its organisational structure and its electoral identity. The ECI’s latest order provides the two factions with separate names and symbols for the upcoming bypolls while the broader dispute remains unresolved.
Political Significance Of Rahul-Mamata Outreach
The phone call marks closer coordination between the Congress and Mamata Banerjee’s faction at a time when the TMC is facing an internal organisational dispute and the two parties have agreed to cooperate in the Nandigram bypoll.
The immediate focus remains on the October 6 bypolls and the two factions’ use of their newly allotted electoral identities.
