Mamata Banerjee built the Trinamool Congress out of rebellion. Nearly three decades later, that same political force has turned inward, with a revolt within the party now threatening the identity and inheritance of the organisation she founded.
The Election Commission's interim decision to bar both rival factions from using the All India Trinamool Congress name and its "Flowers and Grass" symbol in the October 6 bypolls has turned what began as an internal power struggle into a direct battle over the party's electoral identity. The poll panel has asked both sides to use temporary names and symbols until it takes a final decision on their competing claims.
