ECI to meet both Trinamool factions on Sep 12, decision on name & symbol may be resolved

Kolkata: The Election Commission of India (ECI), which had already consented to meet a five-member delegation of the "rebel but majority" faction in Trinamool Congress led by the party's expelled legislator Ritabrata Banerjee on September 12, had now also given the consent to meet the "original but minority" faction of the party led by the former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the same venue in New Delhi on the same day.

While the time fixed for the meeting with the Ritabrata-led faction is 11 a.m. on September 12, the time allotted for the Mamata Banerjee-led faction is 12 noon on the same day.

The venue of the meeting with both the factions of Trinamool Congress is India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIDEM) in New Delhi.

Although in the communications to both the factions of Trinamool Congress, the Commission had not specified the agenda of the meetings, however, ECI insiders said that the discussions will be in relation to the arguments of both the delegations in favour of their claims for the party name and symbol.

In the communications to both the factions, the ECI Secretary Ashwani Kumar Mohal had sought the names of the members of the delegations of both the factions as well as their vehicle numbers for necessary arrangements.

It is learnt that the Commission will decide on the fate of the party name and symbol only after hearing both the factions.

In the letter, Mohal had Ritabrata Banerjee to intimate the names of the members of delegation along with their vehicle details to ECI for making necessary arrangements. In the letter, ECI had specified that the number of delegation members will be five.

The letter from ECI Secretary on Wednesday is in response to a previous communication sent to the Commission from the Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction seeking appointment.

However, Commission insiders said that the decision will be made surely before September 16, which is the last date for filing nominations for the bypolls for Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly constituencies in West Bengal.

Political observers say that the ECI has two options amid the forthcoming bypolls for these two constituencies.

"The first option is allotting the official 'grassroots' symbol to any of the two rival Trinamool Congress factions. In that case, the faction to whom the symbol will be allotted will be able to contest the bypolls with that official symbol. The second option is not allotting the symbol to any of the factions for the time being before a final decision in the matter is taken. In that case, neither of two factions will be able to contest the bypolls with that official symbol," a city-based observer noted.

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