‘Vote theft, government theft, now party theft’: Rahul Gandhi attacks EC over TMC freeze

New Delhi: Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has criticised the Election Commission of India after it barred rival Trinamool Congress factions from using the party’s name and its ‘Flowers and Grass’ symbol for the upcoming West Bengal bypolls.

Gandhi alleged that the BJP and the poll panel were working together to split opposition parties.

Rahul Gandhi attacks ECI over TMC order

Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused the BJP and the Election Commission of acting together to weaken political parties, following the poll panel’s interim decision to freeze the All India Trinamool Congress name and its reserved ‘Flowers and Grass’ symbol.

In a post on X, Gandhi referred to earlier disputes involving the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party before alleging that a similar pattern was now unfolding with the Trinamool Congress.

He wrote that “vote theft”, “government theft” and now “party theft” had become symbols of what he described as India’s democratic decline. Gandhi also alleged that the Election Commission was failing to protect the electoral mandate.

Gandhi said the issue was not limited to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, arguing that it concerned political parties and voters seeking free and fair elections.

What did the Election Commission decide?

The Election Commission issued an interim order on September 17 amid a dispute between rival factions claiming control of the All India Trinamool Congress.

The poll panel said the dispute required a substantive determination under Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968. As the final proceedings could not be completed before the upcoming bypolls, the Commission introduced an interim arrangement.

Under the arrangement, neither faction can use the official All India Trinamool Congress name or the reserved ‘Flowers and Grass’ symbol during the current bypoll process.

Both groups have been asked to submit three preferred names and three free-symbol choices. The Commission will allot separate names and symbols to the rival groups while the larger dispute is examined.

Why the TMC name and symbol matter

The dispute is not simply about branding. A recognised political party’s reserved election symbol provides continuity and helps voters identify candidates on the ballot.

The Commission’s interim order therefore changes how the rival factions will appear on the ballot for the affected bypolls. The order is temporary and does not itself settle which faction is legally entitled to control the Trinamool Congress name and symbol.

The Election Commission has recorded competing claims over the organisational control of the All India Trinamool Congress.

The dispute involves rival groups led by Mamata Banerjee and the opposing faction. The Commission said both sides were claiming to represent the recognised party, making a substantive determination under Paragraph 15 necessary.

The final decision will determine how the competing organisational claims are dealt with under the election-symbol rules.

What happens next?

For the immediate bypoll process, the two factions must contest under separate identities rather than the established TMC name and ‘Flowers and Grass’ symbol.

The Election Commission will continue examining the underlying organisational dispute before taking a final decision. Until then, the interim arrangement remains in place.

The immediate political impact of the order is that neither rival faction can use the established TMC identity in the affected bypolls. This creates a temporary break between the party’s established name and symbol and the candidates contesting under the rival groups.

Rahul Gandhi’s intervention has widened the issue beyond the internal TMC dispute. His allegations against the BJP and Election Commission are political claims and should be distinguished from the Commission’s stated reasoning. The ECI has presented the order as an interim measure designed to maintain an even position between the competing factions while the substantive dispute is examined.

The central unresolved question is therefore not only which faction controls the party, but also which group, if any, will ultimately be recognised as entitled to the established TMC name and reserved symbol.