Rahul Gandhi Speaks To Mamata After EC Action Against TMC, Says ‘We Are In This Together’

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi spoke with Mamata Banerjee late on Friday.

After the Election Commission froze the Trinamool Congress’ original name and election symbol ahead of the West Bengal bypolls. Sources said Gandhi assured Banerjee that he was ready to extend any assistance required. The two leaders also discussed the possibility of greater coordination between the Congress and the TMC in the future.

According to sources, Banerjee told Gandhi, “Let Bengal show the way for a united INDIA bloc to oust BJP.” She also said, “We are in this together. We want the BJP to be removed.”

Mamata Backs Congress Candidate in Nandigram

The phone call came after Banerjee announced support for the Congress candidate in the Nandigram bypoll. Her faction’s candidate, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, withdrew from the contest after meeting Banerjee at Nabanna, the West Bengal state secretariat, on Friday.

Pradhan Dey, a teacher, arrived at Nabanna with her husband, Satyajit, and later pulled out of the Nandigram race. The development unfolded amid the continuing dispute over control of the Trinamool Congress and its electoral identity.

EC Assigns New Names and Symbols

The Election Commission had initially frozen the use of the All India Trinamool Congress name and the party’s traditional Flowers and Grass symbol for the upcoming bypolls. The interim arrangement was introduced while the poll panel considered competing claims from the rival factions.

On Friday, the Commission allotted separate identities to the two groups. The faction led by Mamata Banerjee was given the name Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and the Football Player symbol. The rival faction was allotted Democratic Trinamool Congress and the Envelope symbol.

The new identities will be used for the upcoming bypolls, including contests in Nandigram and Rejinagar, scheduled for October 6. The EC’s decision means that the original TMC name and its traditional symbol will not appear on the ballot for these bypolls while the dispute between the two factions continues.

The developments have also brought renewed attention to coordination between the Congress and Mamata Banerjee’s faction in West Bengal, particularly after the decision to back the Congress candidate in Nandigram.