- The Trinamool Congress factions submitted rival National Working Committees to the Election Commission.
- Rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee claims his group as the real TMC, rejecting the symbol issue.
- Rebels removed Mamata and Abhishek Banerjee from party posts in their newly formed committee.
The battle for control of the Trinamool Congress has now reached the Election Commission, with both factions submitting their claims to the poll panel.
While the Mamata Banerjee camp submitted details of its newly constituted National Working Committee to the Election Commission in Delhi on Monday, the rebel faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee has also staked its claim with the Chief Electoral Officer's office in Kolkata.
On Tuesday evening, five rebel TMC MLAs and members of the newly formed National Working Committee of the Trinamool - Arup Roy, Ritabrata Banerjee, Javed Khan, Akhruzzaman and Sandipan Saha - met CEO Nilam Mina at the EC office on Strand Road in Kolkata and claimed they were the "real" Trinamool.
According to sources, they submitted the names of 30 members, including office-bearers of the new Trinamool working committee, along with the minutes of Monday's meeting, to the CEO's office.
NDTV has also learnt that all documents have already been submitted to the Election Commission's headquarters in New Delhi.
"We have submitted the details and names of the National Working Committee to the Election Commission in Delhi. We are the real TMC. There is no issue of claiming the party symbol. Why should we ask for the symbol? We are the Trinamool," Ritabrata Banerjee said after the meeting.
Read | 'Removed' By Rebels, Mamata Banerjee Tells Poll Panel She's Still The Boss
The Trinamool Congress has been jolted by defections since its Assembly election defeat. Now, the dissident faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee has taken a major step to wrest control of the party. They have removed Mamata Banerjee from the post of Chairperson of the 'Jora Phool' (twin flowers) party and removed All India General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee from his post. Whether they will now manage to seize the party symbol is a subject of speculation currently.
The Ritabrata camp has 21 days to restructure Trinamool's statewide committees before it can formally claim the 'real Trinamool' tag from the Commission.
On the other hand, the AITC faction led by Mamata Banerjee has reconstituted its National Working Committee and submitted the details to the Election Commission of India. In the submitted list, Mamata Banerjee is shown as the Chairperson of the AITC.
NDTV has learnt that Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee submitted the list of the party's new working committee to the Election Commission on Monday. The list released by the party bears Monday's date. Sources close to the Kalighat leadership indicated that Mamata Banerjee sent the list to the Election Commission's headquarters in Delhi on Monday. This move is seen as a signal that she retains firm control over the party.
Coincidentally, on the same day, the 'rebel' Trinamool faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee formed a rival working committee at a luxury hotel in New Town.
Read | Double Whammy: Mamata Banerjee "Removed" As Trinamool Chief, Loses More Aides
Reacting to Mamata Banerjee constituting the new National Working Committee, Ritabrata Bandopadhyay said, "Don't be surprised if two of her committee members also join our camp in a few days." He did not name the leaders likely to join the rebel camp.
On the rebels, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said: "Their election nomination forms had the signatures of Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee. They won because of their names. Now, they are claiming to be the 'real' TMC. The public is watching."
On Monday, rebel Trinamool MLAs met at a hotel in Kolkata to finalise the party's new committees. Founder-Chairperson Mamata Banerjee found no place in it, and Abhishek Banerjee was also removed. Instead, Ritabrata Banerjee, Javed Khan, Biplab Mitra, and Sandipan Saha were named general secretaries.
