Mamata Banerjee moves Supreme Court against ECI over TMC name and symbol freeze

Former WB CM Mamata Banerjee moves Supreme Court challenging ECI decision to bar her faction from using the original TMC name and Flowers and Grass symbol. ECI froze the symbol amid tussle and allotted new names ahead of Oct 6 Bengal bypolls.

Updated : Sep 18, 2026, 11:25 PM IST

Former West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee on Friday approached the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission of India's (ECI) decision to bar her faction from using the original All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) name and its traditional 'Flowers and Grass' symbol, news agency ANI reported.

The development comes after the Election Commission froze the original TMC name and its symbol amid a tussle between rival factions within the party.

The ECI allotted new names and symbols to the rival factions of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) ahead of the nomination scrutiny for the October 6 by-poll to two West Bengal assembly seats.

The Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction has been recognised as "Democratic Trinamool Congress" and allotted the envelope symbol. Former chief minister Mamata Banerjee's faction will be called "Mamata All India Trinamool Congress" with the football player symbol. Both groups have been recognised as political parties in West Bengal, Meghalaya and Tripura.

The interim order by the ECI came after the BJP's victory in the West Bengal assembly elections, where it won 207 of 294 seats to end 15 years of TMC rule, triggering a split where 57 of 80 TMC legislators backed Ritabrata Banerjee.

The Supreme Court is expected to hear Mamata Banerjee's plea next week, days before the October 6 bypolls. The Mamata-led faction has argued that the rival group has no legal claim over the original AITC name and its iconic Flowers and Grass symbol.