Arup Roy faction given ‘envelope’
New Delhi: The Mamata Banerjee-led faction of Trinamool Congress will fight the October 6 bypolls in West Bengal on the ‘football player’ symbol, while the Arup Roy-led group will contest with ‘envelope’ as its poll emblem, the Election Commission said on Friday.
The order came after the poll panel heard both sides locked in a dispute over who gets to use the party name and its symbol.
According to the EC order, the Mamata Banerjee faction has got the name ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ for the upcoming bypolls, while the rival group got the name ‘Democratic Trinamool Congress’.
In an interim order issued on Thursday night, the EC directed the two sides not to use the party name, All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), and its ‘Jora Ghash Phul’ (two flowers with grass) symbol for the bypolls, and asked them to submit their preferred names and emblems by Friday morning.
The EC said the proposed names could be similar to AITC, while the symbols must be chosen from a list of free or available symbols notified for Independents and registered unrecognised political parties.
Assembly bypolls to Nandigram in East Medinipur district and Rejinagar in Murshidabad district are scheduled for October 6, with vote counting on October 9.
The poll panel said the time available was not enough to complete the proceedings under Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, but noted the urgency for party name and symbol for the by-elections.
It said the interim arrangement was made specifically to cover the upcoming bypolls and would remain in force until the dispute is finally determined.
The poll panel directed the returning officers in Rejinagar and Nandigram in Bengal, and Nagaon in Assam where Lok Sabha bypoll is scheduled the same day, to strictly comply with its orders during the scrutiny of nominations and allotment of symbols.
The EC also clarified that it has not expressed any opinion nor passed any order with respect to the validity of nomination papers and the returning officers shall conduct the scrutiny of the same in accordance with the rules.
It said the papers of Safiuzzaman Saikh, who filed nomination from Rejinagar, and Ehteshmul Haque, who filed nomination from Nandigram, with documents signed by Arup Roy, shall be considered as candidates put up by the ‘Democratic Trinamool Congress’ having the symbol ‘Envelope’.
Similarly, the nominations of Rabiul Alam Chowdhury in Rejinagar and Sanchita Pradhan (Dey) in Nandigram with documents signed by Mamata Banerjee shall be considered as candidates put up by the ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ having the symbol ‘Football Player’.
