Will Mamata Banerjee lose the TMC symbol to rebel MPs?

Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) has split into three factions. One set of leaders is with the former West Bengal chief minister, another is a parliamentary faction led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and the third Assembly faction is led by MLA Ritabrata Banerjee.

After facing conflict on two fronts – Kolkata and Delhi, now Mamata could have to battle it out for the party symbol. The parliamentary faction has staked a claim to the party symbol, asserting that they represent the "real" TMC.

Let’s take a closer look.

Will Mamata lose her TMC symbol?

Mamata Banerjee’s party symbol is Jora Ghas Phul – twin flowers on a single stem rising from grass.

It is said that the TMC chief herself sketched the symbol when she founded the party in 1998 after breaking away from the Congress.

The twin flowers with grass symbol depict communal harmony, particularly the Hindu-Muslim unity. The grass reflects the party's "grassroots" identity.

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Mamata Banerjee is said to have herself drawn the TMC's symbol. File Photo/AFP

The parliamentary faction of the TMC has reportedly submitted a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker, staking a claim to the party symbol.

The letter, dated May 18, bore the signatures of at least 17 Lok Sabha MPs who supported the formation of a separate parliamentary faction, as per an India Today report.

They informed the Lok Sabha Speaker of their intention to function as a separate bloc.

These rebel MPs are now staking claim to the TMC's symbol, asserting that they represent the "real" Trinamool Congress.

About nine of the TMC’s 28 Lok Sabha MPs remain, with no clarity over whether they are still with Banerjee.

The rebel faction has indicated that it will support the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). “As of now we have decided to be with the NDA, giving it full support. Later, we (rebel MPs) will sit together and decide what kind of support it should be,” she told Indian Express. 

The camp led by Dastidar appears to replicate the ‘Maharashtra model’ that was seen during the splits of Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The veteran MP has claimed the parliamentary faction has the backing of 20 TMC MPs, which, if true, would give them two-thirds of the Trinamool’s numbers in Lok Sabha. This would keep them outside the purview of the anti-defection law.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will decide whether the dissident group can be recognised on technical and procedural grounds. The rebel MPs will meet the Speaker on Monday (June 15) to lay claim as the "real" TMC, PTI reported.

Notably, the rebel group is witnessing an internal dispute. As per a News18 report, while some are seeking complete ownership of the party’s name, assets, and symbol, others do not want to sideline Mamata Banerjee and want her to act as a "chief adviser" of the party.

Who decides political parties’ names, symbols?

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is empowered to register a political party’s name and allotment of its election symbol.

This is governed by Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (for party names and registration) and The Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968 (for symbols and factional disputes).

If a political party breaks into multiple factions, Paragraph 15 of the Symbols Order, 1968 authorises the EC to legally determine which faction represents the "real" party and will inherit the original party name and symbol.

The poll body judges the “real” party on several criteria:

It checks which faction has the majority. The EC evaluates support within the organisational wing, such as party office-bearers and committee members, and the legislative wing (sitting MPs and MLAs).

If neither faction enjoys a clear majority, or if the evidence is highly contested, the poll body has the power to temporarily freeze the original symbol and name, as per News18. 

Once the main symbol is frozen, the EC tells the factions to temporarily pick new names and select distinct symbols from the free symbol pool to contest the immediate upcoming elections.

In the case of Shiv Sena and the NCP, the EC awarded the original parties' names and symbols to the dissident groups led by Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, respectively.

With inputs from agencies