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New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has hit out at the Election Commission over its interim order barring rival Trinamool Congress factions from using
the party's name and "flowers and grass" symbol in the upcoming West Bengal bypolls. Calling the order part of a wider pattern, Gandhi alleged that the BJP and the Election Commission "join forces" to split political parties and take away their election symbols.
'Vote Chori, Govt Chori, Now Party Chori'
"First Shiv Sena, then NCP, and now Trinamool Congress. Every time, the same pattern - BJP and the Election Commission join forces to split a party. Then its election symbol is snatched away," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha further alleged that if an entire political party can be "stolen", then it is hardly surprising that the votes of Indians can be "stolen" too.
पहले शिवसेना, फिर NCP और अब तृणमूल कांग्रेस।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 18, 2026
हर बार एक ही पैटर्न - BJP और चुनाव आयोग मिलकर एक पार्टी को तोड़ते हैं। फिर उसका चुनाव चिन्ह छीन लिया जाता है।
जब पूरी की पूरी पार्टी चोरी हो सकती है, तो करोड़ों भारतीयों के वोट चोरी होना भी हैरानी की बात नहीं।
वोट चोरी। सरकार चोरी।…
"Vote chori. Government chori. Now party chori - these have become symbols of our democratic decline," Gandhi said.
He also accused the poll panel of failing to protect the electoral mandate.
"The ECI's constitutional responsibility is to protect the mandate but instead, it's aiding those very forces that overturn the people's verdict," he said.
Gandhi said the issue went beyond Mamata Banerjee and the TMC.
"This fight isn't just Mamata Banerjee's. It's the fight of every political party, every voter who wants free and fair elections," Gandhi said.
Congress Calls EC Order 'Abdication Of Responsibility'
The Congress had on Thursday also criticised the Election Commission's interim order, alleging that freezing the AITC's name and symbol amounted to an abdication of the poll body's constitutional responsibility.
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal described the decision as CEC Gyanesh Kumar's "late night birthday gift" to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Election Commission's interim order came amid a dispute between rival factions of the All India Trinamool Congress. The poll panel said both groups were claiming to be the party and that the dispute required a substantive determination under Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
EC Freezes TMC Name, 'Flowers And Grass' Symbol
In its order, the Election Commission said, "On due consideration of the totality of information available on record... the Commission is of the opinion that there are two rival groups in the All India Trinamool Congress, one led by Ms. Mamata Banerjee and the other led by Shri Arup Roy."
"Each group is now claiming to be the party, and therefore the matter requires a substantive determination by the Commission under Para 15 of the Symbols Order 1968," it said.
The poll panel said the interim arrangement was meant to keep both groups on an "even keel" and protect their rights and interests until the dispute is finally decided.
"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'."
"Neither of the two groups shall also be permitted to use the symbol 'Flowers and Grass', reserved for 'All India Trinamool Congress'," the Commission said.
The EC has asked both factions to submit preferred alternative names and free symbols for the upcoming bypolls.
The "Flowers and Grass" symbol is the reserved symbol listed for the All India Trinamool Congress in the Election Commission's records.
