The Assam unit of the Trinamool Congress on Friday withdrew its candidate from the October 6 Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll, protesting the Election Commission’s decision to freeze the party’s original name and election symbol.
The party had nominated educationist Abdul Salam for the bypoll.
“We wholeheartedly support the decision taken by our Chairperson, Mamata Banerjee. We are deeply shocked by the unjust and undemocratic move to temporarily freeze our party's name and election symbol for the Nagaon by-election,” Assam TMC convenor and MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed said in a statement.
“In protest against this, we have resolved not to contest this by-election in the Nagaon constituency. We strongly condemn the Election Commission for strangling democracy and express our deepest indignation at this insult to the people of Assam,” he said.
The EC has temporarily frozen the ‘All India Trinamool Congress’ name and its ‘flowers and grass’ symbol for the October 6 bypolls.
On Friday, the poll panel allotted the Mamata Banerjee-led faction the name ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ and the ‘Football Player’ symbol. The rival faction led by Arup Roy was allotted the name ‘Democratic Trinamool Congress’ and the ‘Envelope’ symbol.
The arrangement will remain in force pending the EC’s final decision on the factional dispute.
The Nagaon bypoll was necessitated after former Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned from the party and subsequently joined the BJP.
(With inputs from PTI)
