New Delhi: The Election Commission on Saturday sought more documents from the Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction in the dispute over rival claims to the Trinamool Congress, as the Mamata Banerjee-led faction also appeared before the poll panel.
Banerjee, the Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal, said the delegation made oral submissions before the full EC bench and responded to its queries. It also showed some documents during the deliberations, following which the commission asked it to furnish additional papers before the day was out.
The hearing takes place amid a dispute between the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress and the Ritabrata faction over the party’s organisational control and claim to its name and symbol.
Banerjee heads a group of around 60 of the 80 newly elected TMC MLAs who distanced themselves from former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after the party’s defeat to the BJP in the Assembly polls held in April.
Both factions have staked a claim to being the “real” Trinamool Congress and approached the Election Commission seeking recognition as the party’s legitimate leadership.
In its letter to Banerjee, the ECI said, “The Commission has decided to give an appointment to your delegation comprising of five members for a meeting on 12.09.2026 (Saturday) at 11:00 AM” at the India International Institute of Democracy & Election Management (IIIDEM), Sector-13, Dwarka, Delhi.
The ECI’s meeting with the Banerjee-led delegation comes ahead of the September 16 deadline for filing nominations for the Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls in West Bengal.
The polling will be conducted on October 6 (Tuesday), and the counting of votes will take place on October 9 (Friday). The Commission stated that the entire election process is slated for completion before October 11, 2026.
In West Bengal, bypolls were necessitated in Rejinagar and Nandigram following the resignations of Humayun Kabir and Suvendu Adhikari, respectively.
