The Election Commission of India (ECI) issued a landmark interim administrative ruling barring competing political factions from using the official party name and registered symbol of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in upcoming West Bengal Assembly bypolls. The regulatory intervention comes ahead of crucial electoral contests across the Nandigram and Rejinagar legislative constituencies following an escalating internal leadership dispute regarding organizational control and official candidate nominations. In its binding order, the election watchdog clarified that to ensure fair electoral competition and prevent voter confusion, neither rival faction will be permitted to utilize the traditional party insignia or official name until the commission concludes formal hearings on the dispute. Instead, both factions have been directed to select temporary alternative names and choose from a designated list of free election symbols provided by the electoral authority for the duration of the bypoll campaigns. State political strategists note that the freezing of the recognizable party symbol presents a major operational challenge for both camps as they attempt to mobilize grassroot voters under newly assigned temporary identities, raising the stakes for local party cadre ahead of polling day. Interim Order Freezes Party Identity Pending Substantive Dispute ResolutionIn a major political development ahead of the upcoming West Bengal Assembly bypolls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) issued an interim order freezing the official name "All India Trinamool Congress" (AITC) and its reserved "Flowers & Grass" (Jora Ghas Phool) election symbol. Passed by the full bench of the poll body, the directive precludes both rival camps—the faction led by party founder Mamata Banerjee and the rebel group headed by West Bengal Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee and senior leader Arup Roy—from using the parent party's identity until a final determination on organizational control is reached under Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation & Allotment) Order, 1968.Overview: ECI Interim Order & West Bengal Bypoll ParametersParameter / AspectOfficial Details & Regulatory DirectivesBypoll ConstituenciesNandigram & Rejinagar (Scheduled for October 6, 2026)Rival Factions1. Mamata Banerjee Group | 2. Ritabrata Banerjee / Arup Roy GroupECI Legal FrameworkParagraph 15 of Election Symbols (Reservation & Allotment) Order, 1968Frozen AssetsOfficial Party Name (All India Trinamool Congress) & Reserved Symbol (Flowers & Grass)Interim RequirementsSubmit 3 alternative group names and 3 free symbols by deadlineName Linkage PermittedTemporary names may retain a descriptive linkage to "All India Trinamool Congress"Escalating Fictional Feud Reaches Election CommissionThe symbol freeze stems from an internal rift following the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. The rebel camp, led by Ritabrata Banerjee, garnered the support of a majority of state legislators and subsequently claimed to reorganize the party's leadership, appointing senior MLA Arup Roy as chairperson. Both factions subsequently submitted competing claims, Forms A and B, and organizational documentation to the ECI, each asserting itself as the legitimate Trinamool Congress ahead of the nomination deadlines for the Nandigram and Rejinagar by-elections.Mandatory Deadlines for Temporary Names and SymbolsTo ensure a level playing field for the October 6 elections, the ECI instructed both groups to submit three preferred choices for alternative party names and three choices from the list of available free symbols. The Commission explicitly permitted both groups to include a reference or linkage to their parent party—such as "Trinamool Congress (Mamata)" or "Trinamool Congress (Rebel)"—in their proposed interim names. While the Ritabrata-led faction indicated compliance with the poll panel's procedures, representatives from the Mamata Banerjee camp criticized the decision, signaling plans to challenge the interim freeze through appropriate legal channels.