TMC rebel faction to meet ECI full bench in Delhi, claims party symbol
Synopsis
Sixty of TMC's 80 West Bengal MLAs are reportedly backing a rebel faction that has stripped Mamata Banerjee of her chairpersonship and is now knocking on the ECI's door to seize the party's iconic symbol. Thursday's full-bench hearing could trigger the most consequential intra-party symbol battle since the Shiv Sena and NCP splits.
Key Takeaways
10 legislators from the Ritabrata Banerjee -led TMC rebel faction will meet the ECI full bench in New Delhi on 3 July to claim the party symbol and funds.
The rebel camp claims the support of more than 60 of the 80 TMC MLAs in the West Bengal Assembly ; the loyalist faction holds 20 .
On 22 June , the rebel group formed a new National Working Committee of 30 members , removing Mamata Banerjee as national chairperson and naming Arup Roy in her place.
Under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order of 1968 , a regional party needs at least six per cent of valid votes — roughly 37.80 lakh in West Bengal — to retain its symbol.
The rebel faction estimates its aggregate vote share at approximately 48 lakh , above the threshold, while it argues the loyalist camp falls short.
A team of 10 legislators from the Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel faction of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) will meet the full bench of the Election Commission of India (ECI) at its headquarters in New Delhi on Thursday, 3 July, to formally stake claim to the party's name, election symbol, and funds. The delegation departed from Kolkata on Wednesday evening ahead of the high-stakes hearing.
Background to the Split
The internal rupture within the TMC deepened on 22 June, when the rebel group convened and constituted a new National Working Committee comprising 30 members and a sub-committee of 10 members. In a pointed move, the faction removed Mamata Banerjee — the party's founding supremo and former West Bengal Chief Minister — from her position as national chairperson, naming veteran legislator Arup Roy in her place. The loyalist faction, meanwhile, continues to back both Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee.
Lawyers representing the rebel TMC had already submitted resolutions and legal documents to the ECI ahead of Thursday's meeting, signalling that the faction is prepared for a prolonged legal contest.
The Numbers Game at the ECI
The legal battle centres on the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order of 1968, which requires a regional party to secure at least six per cent of valid votes polled and hold at least two MLAs to retain its recognised symbol. According to the rebel camp's own calculations, the threshold in the last West Bengal election translates to approximately 37.80 lakh votes, based on a total of roughly 6.30 crore votes cast in the state.
The rebel faction claims it currently commands more than 60 of the 80 TMC legislators in the West Bengal Assembly. Even if each MLA's average vote share is conservatively pegged at 80,000 votes, the faction argues its aggregate tally reaches approximately 48 lakh votes — comfortably above the six per cent threshold. The loyalist camp, by contrast, is said to have only 20 MLAs, whose combined votes, the rebels contend, would fall short of the 37 lakh mark required to meet the ECI's retention criterion.
What the ECI Hearing Could Decide
Thursday's full-bench meeting is not a final adjudication but a hearing of the rebel faction's arguments. The ECI has broad powers under the 1968 Order to freeze a disputed symbol, allocate a temporary symbol to a rival faction, or ultimately award the original symbol to whichever group it recognises as the legitimate party. Similar proceedings have played out in the past with parties such as the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), where symbol disputes dragged on for months before a ruling.
Notably, the ECI had earlier acceded to the rebel faction's request for an appointment, fixing Thursday as the date after the group formally sought a hearing. The Commission's decision on the symbol could reshape the political landscape of West Bengal ahead of future elections.
What Happens Next
The ECI is expected to hear both sides before arriving at any interim or final order. The loyalist TMC faction is also likely to present its counter-arguments before the Commission. Political observers note that the outcome will hinge not just on MLA numbers but on the ECI's assessment of organisational continuity, internal party democracy, and the legal validity of the rebel faction's June 22 resolutions.
Point of View
Which, if verified, would make the loyalist faction's position legally precarious under the 1968 Order. The ECI, however, has shown in past rulings that raw MLA numbers are not the only test — organisational continuity and the chain of internal party authority matter too. Mamata Banerjee's camp will almost certainly contest the June 22 resolutions as procedurally void. The real question is whether the ECI moves quickly or, as in the Maharashtra cases, allows the dispute to fester through successive hearings — leaving West Bengal's political arithmetic in limbo ahead of the next electoral cycle.
NationPress
2 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the TMC rebel faction meeting the ECI?
The rebel faction, led by Ritabrata Banerjee and claiming the support of more than 60 TMC MLAs, is meeting the ECI full bench on 3 July to formally stake claim to the Trinamool Congress party name, election symbol, and funds. The group argues it represents the majority of the legislative party and therefore deserves recognition as the legitimate TMC.
What is the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order of 1968?
It is the legal framework that governs how the ECI allocates and protects party symbols. Under this order, a regional party must secure at least six per cent of valid votes polled and hold at least two MLAs to retain its recognised symbol. The ECI can freeze, reassign, or award a disputed symbol after hearing rival factions.
How many TMC MLAs are with the rebel faction?
According to the rebel camp, more than 60 of the 80 Trinamool Congress legislators in the West Bengal Assembly are backing their faction. The loyalist faction aligned with Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee reportedly holds 20 MLAs.
What did the rebel faction do on 22 June?
On 22 June, the rebel group constituted a new National Working Committee of 30 members and a sub-committee of 10 members. It removed Mamata Banerjee as the party's national chairperson and named veteran legislator Arup Roy in her place, sharply escalating the internal conflict.
What happens after the ECI hearing?
Thursday's meeting is a hearing of the rebel faction's arguments, not a final ruling. The ECI is expected to hear both sides before issuing any interim or final order on the symbol dispute. The loyalist TMC faction is likely to present counter-arguments, and the process could take weeks or months, mirroring past symbol disputes involving the Shiv Sena and NCP.
