TMC row: Mamata camp claims police push to collect affidavits for rival camp

• Mamata camp alleges police and administrative machinery are helping the Ritabrata faction gather affidavits.

• TMC MP Dola Sen writes to senior state officials, alleging pressure on stamp-paper vendors and police officers.

• Both factions must submit documents by 26 October ahead of the ECI’s joint hearing on 30 October.

A fresh controversy has erupted over the battle for the Trinamool Congress (TMC) name and its ‘jora phul’ (twin flowers) symbol, with the Mamata Banerjee-led faction accusing the police of helping its rival camp collect affidavits. The allegations have raised questions about the fairness of the process as the Election Commission of India (ECI) prepares to decide which faction has the right to represent the party on 30 October.

Mamata-All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) spokesperson and MLA Kunal Ghosh has alleged that the BJP is using the police and administrative machinery to help the faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee, which operates under the name Democratic Trinamool Congress. According to Ghosh, the rival camp lacks sufficient grassroots support and is relying on police assistance to gather documents.

Ghosh claimed that police stations had been instructed to procure large quantities of court papers, which would then be stamped, completed and submitted as affidavits. He alleged that the exercise was being carried out from within police stations, with officials in district police offices, district magistrates’ offices and other administrative departments being pressured to co-operate.

“These serious allegations have emerged from both police and political sources,” Ghosh said. He further claimed that a police officer had collected a large batch of court documents and instructed a notary to stamp them, with the intention of filling in the details later.

“In other words, they plan to inflate the numbers from the comfort of their own homes by using the electoral roll to fabricate information,” he alleged. Ghosh also warned that the people whose names appeared on the affidavits might not even know about them, making it difficult to verify a large number of submissions.

He accused the BJP and Suvendu Adhikari of orchestrating a “game plan” against Mamata Banerjee’s faction. “While Mamata Banerjee’s loyalists are diligently filling out affidavit forms at party offices in full compliance with the rules, the police are facilitating the BJP’s agenda on behalf of the ‘traitor camp’,” he said.

TMC MP Dola Sen has also raised these allegations. She has written to the state chief secretary, director-general of police and Kolkata Police commissioner, seeking their attention to the alleged irregularities.

In her email to the chief secretary, Sen claimed that district magistrates had informally instructed stamp-paper vendors to supply around 25,000 stamp papers to local police stations. “Such an instruction is entirely illegal,” she wrote, alleging that the arrangement was intended to help the Ritabrata-led faction.

In separate letters, Sen alleged that police station chiefs had been instructed to collect more than 1,100 affidavits each, including from people who were not TMC members. She accused police officers of using their influence to obtain signatures in support of the rival faction.

However, the allegations have been strongly rejected by the other side. Ritabrata Banerjee said the Mamata-led faction was making accusations because it could not gather the necessary documents. “They know they cannot submit any documentation to the Election Commission, which is why they are making such claims,” he said. He demanded proof and an apology, adding that he had consulted lawyers.

Arup Roy, another leader of the Ritabrata faction, also denied police involvement. “We are a political entity; why would the police assist us in our internal party affairs?” he asked, insisting that the faction’s own workers were collecting the affidavits.

The BJP has likewise denied any role in the dispute. Party spokesperson Sayantan Basu said the conflict reflected internal divisions within the TMC. “The BJP government and the party have absolutely no role in this internal conflict,” he said.

The affidavits are required by the ECI to determine which faction has the legitimate claim to the Trinamool name and symbol. Following the split between the factions led by Mamata Banerjee and Ritabrata Banerjee, both sides have been asked to submit affidavits from their organisational leaders and elected representatives declaring which faction they support. These documents will help the Commission assess each faction’s organisational strength and determine which one should be recognised as the 'real Trinamool'.

The dispute follows the Supreme Court’s 28 September directive giving both factions four weeks to submit relevant documents and affidavits. The court asked the ECI to reach a final decision on the party’s name and symbol within the prescribed period.

Both factions have been directed to submit their evidence by 26 October. The Commission has scheduled a joint hearing for 30 October at 3.30 pm at its headquarters, Nirvachan Sadan, in New Delhi. Previously, the two sides had been heard separately.