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West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh on Friday claimed that the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) is crumbling under the weight of severe internal strife following the Election Commission's (ECI) interim order freezing the official name and reserving the "Flowers and Grass" symbol of the party.
Speaking to the reporters, Ghosh underlined that former Chief Minister and party supremo Mamata Banerjee was left isolated due to defections. "The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is disintegrating due to internal infighting. The public has rejected them. Their MPs are in other parties, and Mamata Banerjee stands alone. They hold no documents regarding this; the Election Commission will make the decision," he said. His remarks came after the ECI passed an interim order on Thursday barring both rival factions of the Trinamool Congress from using the name "All India Trinamool Congress" or the party's "Flowers and Grass" symbol until the leadership dispute is finally resolved. ECI's order stated that "Neither of the two groups led by Shri Arup Roy (Petitioner) and the other led by Ms Mamata Banerjee (Respondent) shall be permitted to use the name of the party 'All India Trinamool Congress '." The order followed a hearing on Thursday at Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi, where the ECI heard the rival factions after seeking their final submissions. Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal mocked the Prime Minister, asking if he will use such tactics to win the by-elections in Nandigram and Rejinagar scheduled to take place on October 6. "Modi ji's birthday gift to the country. Will they win the election this way?" the AAP leader questioned in a post on X. The dispute comes ahead of the October 6 by-elections in Nandigram and Rejinagar, for which both factions have fielded candidates while staking claim to the TMC's traditional symbol. The Nandigram seat fell vacant after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who retained Bhabanipur after defeating Mamata Banerjee there in the 2026 Assembly elections, vacated it. The Rejinagar seat fell vacant following the resignation of Aam Janata Unnayan Party founder Humayun Kabir, who had also won from Nowda. Polling for the two seats is scheduled for October 6, with counting on October 9. The Commission has set October 11 as the deadline for completing the entire election process. (ANI)
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