Goa, Sept. 18 -- In a historic shift for West Bengal's political landscape, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued an interim order freezing the original "All India Trinamool Congress" party name and its iconic "flowers and grass" (Jora Ghas Phul) symbol. The directive follows a severe internal rift within the party, assigning temporary names and symbols to both competing camps for upcoming assembly bypolls.

The ECI granted the group led by founder Mamata Banerjee the interim title "Mamata All India Trinamool Congress" alongside the "Football Player" symbol. The rival camp, headed by Arup Roy and legislative leader Ritabrata Banerjee, was designated as "Democratic Trinamool Congress" with an "Envelope" symbol.

The conflict in...