West Bengal Congress chief Subhankar Sarkar on Friday alleged that the Election Commission deliberately delayed its decision on the Trinamool Congress' name and election symbol until after the nomination process for the upcoming Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls had ended.
Sarkar was reacting to the EC's interim order barring two rival TMC factions from using the party's name and its 'Flowers and Grass' symbol for the October 6 bypolls.
In a statement, Sarkar said the dispute over the TMC's symbol was not new and the poll panel should have addressed it with urgency.
"But we were surprised to see that the EC deliberately delayed the matter and announced its decision and froze the symbol on the day the nomination scrutiny process for the Rejinagar and Nandigram bypolls ended. This raises serious doubts about the purpose behind the decision," he said.
Drawing a parallel with the Shiv Sena symbol dispute in Maharashtra, Sarkar alleged that the EC had played a similar role in West Bengal.
"There will be political competition and ideological battles -- that is what is desirable in a parliamentary democracy. If someone has to be defeated, we will do so through parliamentary democracy. If someone has to be politically wiped out, it is the people of West Bengal who would do it, through their mandate," he said.
Sarkar alleged that the EC was "working like a frontal organisation of the BJP" and had embarked on an attempt to "wipe out a political party".
"This is an extremely dangerous indication for parliamentary democracy. We strongly condemn it," he said.
He said the Congress would continue its political opposition to the TMC, accusing the ruling party of attacks on Congress workers, occupation of party offices and "gross misgovernance" in the state.
"But that does not mean the Election Commission, at the behest of the BJP, will embark on such an exercise to wipe out a political party. Such partisan behaviour by the EC is weakening the foundations of democracy," he said.
The EC, in its interim order issued on Thursday night, said it had identified two rival groups in the All India Trinamool Congress -- one led by Mamata Banerjee and the other by Arup Roy from the rebel Ritabrata camp -- with both claiming to represent the party.
The commission said the rival claims required substantive adjudication under Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
Pending a final decision, neither faction will be allowed to use the party's name or the reserved 'Flowers and Grass' symbol in the October 6 Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls.
Both camps have been asked to submit three choices of names and three free symbols to the commission by 11 am on Friday.
(With inputs from PTI)