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A five-member delegation representing the rebel faction of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by West Bengal Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee, arrived at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in Delhi on Saturday for a meeting with the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The delegation includes Ritabrata Banerjee, Akhruzzaman, Arup Roy, Chandrima Bhattacharya and Riju Datta. Banerjee heads a group of around 60 of the 80 newly elected TMC MLAs who distanced themselves from former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after the party's defeat to the BJP in the Assembly polls held in April. Both factions have staked claim to being the real Trinamool Congress and approached the Election Commission seeking recognition as the party's legitimate leadership. On Wedneday, the ECI had written to Banerjee regarding representations concerning the TMC amid a dispute over the party's name, election symbol and funds between the Mamata Banerjee-led faction and the faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee. In its letter to Banerjee, the ECI said, "The Commission has decided to give an appointment to your delegation comprising of five members for a meeting on 12.09.2026 (Saturday) at 11:00 AM" at the India International Institute of Democracy & Election Management (IIIDEM), Sector-13, Dwarka, Delhi. The ECI's meeting with the Banerjee-led delegation comes ahead of the September 16 deadline for filing nominations for the Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls in West Bengal. The polling will be conducted on October 6 (Tuesday), and the counting of votes will take place on October 9 (Friday). The Commission stated that the entire election process is slated for completion before October 11, 2026. In West Bengal, bypolls were necessitated in Rejinagar and Nandigram following the resignations of Humayun Kabir and Suvendu Adhikari, respectively. (ANI)
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