TMC symbol row: EC hears Mamata, Ritabrata factions ahead of Bengal bypolls

New Delhi, Sep 12 (PTI) The Election Commission on Saturday met with the representatives of both the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress and the group led by West Bengal LoP Ritabrata Banerjee amid their competing claims over the party's authorised signatories and organisational elections.

The separate meetings with the two groups took place ahead of the Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly bypolls scheduled for October 6.

The Mamata Banerjee-led party, in its submissions before the poll panel, maintained that there was no dispute over the party's organisational structure and questioned the basis of the rival claim, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) said in a statement issued after the meeting.

A five-member delegation, comprising Derek O'Brien, Kalyan Banerjee, Sagarika Ghose, Saket Gokhale and advocate Abhinav Singh, represented the Mamata-led party before the Election Commission (EC).

The delegation pointed out that the MLAs backing the rival claim had contested the elections on a TMC ticket only five months ago, with Mamata Banerjee signing the party symbol under which they fought the polls, the statement said.

The party also said these MLAs had received Rs 25 lakh each in their bank accounts from the TMC to contest the elections.

The delegation told the commission that its organisational elections had consistently been held every five years to elect the chairperson and subsequently the national working committee -- in 2006, 2011, 2017 and 2022.

The statement said the issue was between the "Mamata Banerjee-led party" and "a bunch of traitors", using the latter description for those making the rival claim.

The Ritabrata Banerjee-led group also appeared before the full commission and made oral submissions on its claim. Banerjee said the group showed documents during the meeting and responded to queries raised by the poll panel.

The commission subsequently asked the group to furnish additional documents by the end of Saturday, he said.

"We have played our role. We have made our submission. We will be giving some more documents today itself. Now we have to wait for the highest apex body to give a ruling," Ritabrata Banerjee said.

He said his group had specifically requested the EC to decide the matter before September 16, the last date for filing nominations for the bypolls in West Bengal.

Ritabrata Banerjee also expressed confidence that his group would get the TMC symbol.

The approaching bypolls have lent urgency to the organisational dispute, with candidates required to file their nominations by the deadline.

After the meeting, Kalyan Banerjee of the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC said the meeting lasted for more than two hours, and the delegation responded to queries raised by the EC.

"The matter was heard by the Election Commission today for nearly two-and-a-half hours. They have heard us. We have made our submissions. Some queries were there. We have given answers as far as possible," he said.

He said the poll panel had raised the issue of whether an interim order could be passed and they opposed it.

"One anxiety was expressed by them -- whether the interim order can be passed or not. That we have opposed to...," he said.

Kalyan Banerjee also made it clear that the election symbol itself was not discussed during Saturday's meeting.

Asked whether the question of who would get the symbol had come up because of the approaching bypolls, he said, "No, no. It was not discussed." On whether the Mamata-led TMC would contest the Rejinagar and Nandigram bypolls, he said, "We will fight." He said the party would continue to contest with its symbol unless the EC rules that it does not have the right to use it.

Asked whether he was optimistic of a decision before September 16, Kalyan Banerjee said, "I am not optimistic. I am nothing. I do not want to open my mouth much at this stage." The EC will now consider the material submitted by both sides in the dispute over the party's organisational structure and authorised signatories. PTI