Mamata's Trinamool faction unveils new election symbol ahead of West Bengal by-polls
The new logo features a football player at the centre, surrounded by the words “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” in white against a blue background.
The Mamata Banerjee-led faction of West Bengal's Trinamool Congress has unveiled a new logo featuring a football player as its interim election symbol, days after the Election Commission of India (ECI) froze the party's traditional name and "Flowers and Grass" symbol amid an internal dispute.
The new logo features a football player at the centre, surrounded by the words "Mamata All India Trinamool Congress" in white against a blue background. It also incorporates saffron, white and green.
The ECI has allotted separate interim names and symbols to the two rival factions for the 6 October Assembly bypolls.
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Mamata's faction has been given the name "Mamata All India Trinamool Congress" and the "Football Player" symbol, while the rival faction has been allotted "Democratic Trinamool Congress" and the "Envelope" symbol.
With only a fortnight left before the by-elections in Nandigram and Muslim-majority Rejinagar in Murshidabad, the Mamata camp is seeking to build voter recognition of the new symbol and link it to the political identity long associated with the Trinamool Congress.
The effort comes after the "Khela Hobey" jingle became widely popular during the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, which the undivided TMC won by a large margin.
The ECI froze the original TMC name and symbol on 17 September while considering rival claims over control of the party. The commission subsequently assigned the two factions temporary identities for the bypolls.
Mamata has challenged the ECI's decision in the Supreme Court, arguing against the freezing of the party's traditional name and symbol. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear her petition on a priority basis.
The football-player symbol will face its first electoral test in the 6 October bypolls, including in Rejinagar, where the two TMC factions are set to contest against each other.
The development comes after the TMC's defeat in the West Bengal Assembly election earlier this year, following which an internal dispute over control of the party led to the present split.
