The Election Commission (EC) has called rival factions of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) for a hearing on October 30, the first hearing after they were barred from using the party symbol for Bengal bypolls, officials said on Friday.
The hearing comes over a month after the EC issued an interim order on September 17 having heard leaders of the two factions led by Mamata Banerjee and Arup Roy, and directed that the matter required substantive determination by the poll body under provisions of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order 1968.
The EC had then ordered them not to use the party name and "Flowers and Grass symbol" during the West Bengal bypolls. Later, it had allocated them fresh symbols and names to contest the bypolls.
Reacting to the development, Trinamool Congress joint secretary Derek O'Brien said they would appear for the hearing, and accused the rival faction of seeking multiple extensions.
Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Bengal Assembly Ritabrata Banerjee said they would appear for the hearing, and expressed confidence in their claim.
Asked about the hearing, O'Brien pointed out that the process started in July, and questioned why the poll panel delayed the matter.
"The traitors first wrote to the Election Commission on June 22. The EC asked us and them to reply by July 6. We promptly did. They did not," O'Brien told PTI.
"After this, all that the traitors did was to keep seeking extensions of time. That was their only communication to the EC -- requests for more time," he said.
The Rajya Sabha MP said the EC, in their generosity, gave the traitors 70 extra days.
"We have maintained all deadlines. The chronology of 14 dates exposes the hollow claims of the traitor group," he said.
Amid ongoing protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, O'Brien said, "Much can happen between now and then."
"We are still two weeks away from that meeting. The nation is enraged. Young and old are on the streets, protesting," he said.
Ritabrata Banerjee told PTI that they would appear before the poll panel, and expressed confidence in their claim. "This is the routine procedure; we will go for the hearing. We are very confident," he said.
The EC is hearing rival claims over control of the AITC, including the validity of its existing organisational structure and authorised signatories.
The dispute goes back to June 22, when LoP Ritabrata Banerjee convened a meeting of rebel leaders and announced the formation of a new national working committee, with Arup Roy being elected its chairperson.
Ritabrata claimed that the party was facing a "constitutional crisis", arguing that Article 20 of the AITC constitution required the national working committee to be constituted every three years. He said the previous committee, formed in February 2022, had completed its tenure in February 2025 and had not been renewed.
The Mamata Banerjee-led party has maintained that the rival faction was relying on an outdated provision and overlooking subsequent amendments to the party Constitution.
The AITC also disputed the rival faction's claim regarding the composition of the party, saying public notices were issued during the organisational election process and all MPs and MLAs were made members of the party.
It further maintained that the June 22 meeting could not constitute a valid organisational exercise as the prescribed multi-tier process for constituting the party's organisational committees was not followed.
The Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction has maintained that its June 22 meeting was held in accordance with the party constitution and has said the EC would decide which side was legitimate.