Ritabrata Faction Stakes Claim to TMC Election Symbol

The Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel Trinamool Congress faction formally staked claim over the party's official name, assets, and election symbol after meeting with the full bench of the Election Commission of India on Thursday.

It marked a major escalation in the ongoing leadership feud between Ritabrata Banerjee and party supremo Mamata Banerjee.

A 10-member delegation headed by Ritabrata Banerjee, met Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi at Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi.

After the meeting, claimed his faction possesses "numerical superiority" and asserted no need to separately argue for rights.

They claimed they enjoy a two-thirds majority of TMC MLAs in the West Bengal Assembly, along with a majority of former cabinet ministers, municipal councillors, and Zilla Parishad members.

The faction had "removed" Mamata Banerjee as Chairperson and appointed former state minister Arup Roy in her place after a special party meeting on June 22.

The TMC camp loyal to Mamata Banerjee has dismissed the rebel faction's claims as "completely preposterous", arguing that under EC guidelines, only registered signatories of the party are authorised to communicate or hold formal hearings with the poll body on behalf of the TMC.