New Delhi, Sept. 17 -- The Election Commission on Thursday barred both rival factions of the All India Trinamool Congress from using the party's name "All India Trinamool Congress" simpliciter and its reserved "Flowers & Grass" symbol, holding that a formal dispute had emerged between the groups led by Mamata Banerjee and Arup Roy.
The three-member Commission, comprising Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Vivek Joshi and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, said the material placed before it showed that "there are two rival groups in All India Trinamool Congress, one led by Ms. Mamata Banerjee and the other led by Shri Arup Roy, and each group is now claiming to be the party".
The Commission said the dispute required a ...