Kolkata, Sep 18 (IANS) Reacting to the Election Commission’s interim decision to freeze the name and election symbol of the Trinamool Congress, West Bengal Assembly Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee said the order underlined that political parties cannot be treated as private entities or passed down through dynastic succession.
Speaking on the party symbol row, Banerjee said the development came as a surprise to party leaders, who learnt about the Commission’s decision.
“…Just after getting off the plane, we found out that the symbol has been frozen, and the name has been frozen. However, one thing is clear: within a democracy, there is no place for dictatorship,” Banerjee said.
He further linked the Election Commission’s interim order to the broader debate over the control and ownership of political parties, arguing that a party cannot be treated as a private limited company or inherited by an individual as a family possession.
“This narrative that was going on regarding the symbol and the name, the Election Commission’s interim order today proves that there is no room for dynastic politics. A political party is not a private limited company, nor can there be an heir to a political party. This has been proven today,” he said.
The remarks came after the Election Commission ordered an interim freeze on the name and election symbol of the All India Trinamool and directed the rival factions to choose new names and symbols until the dispute is settled.
The Commission’s decision has significant implications for the upcoming Assembly bypolls in West Bengal. The EC had announced bypolls in two constituencies, Nandigram and Rejinagar, to be held on October 6.
In its order, the EC said it had considered the material available before it and concluded that there were two rival groups within the All India Trinamool Congress, each claiming to represent the party.
“On due consideration of the totality of information available on record…the Commission is of the opinion that there are two rival groups in the All India Trinamool Congress, one led by Ms Mamata Banerjee and the other led by Shri Arup Roy, and each group is now claiming to be the party and therefore the matter requires a substantive determination by the Commission under Para 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation & Allotment) Order 1968,” the EC order said.
–IANS
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