IndiaPosted at: Sep 18 2026 12:13AM


Congress condemns ECI freeze on AITC name and symbol, terms it a 'late night birthday gift' on PM Modi's birthday

New Delhi, Sep 17 (UNI) Congress general secretary KC Venugopal on Thursday strongly condemned the Election Commission of India’s decision to freeze the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) name and election symbol, alleging that the move was a “late night birthday gift” from Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Congress chairman of Media and Publicity Pawan Khera also questioned the constitutional basis of the decision, asserting that the party’s breakaway faction had no legitimate claim to its name or symbol.
In a sharply worded post on social media platform X, Venugopal accused the Election Commission of facilitating an alleged attempt to undermine the party led by Mamata Banerjee. He said those who had fought the Bharatiya Janata Party under Banerjee’s leadership were now being given a “red carpet” to rebel against her, with the poll panel allegedly enabling defection.
“Freezing the AITC name and symbol - after a blatantly unconstitutional hijack by the BJP - is CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s late night birthday gift to Modi ji,” Venugopal said.
He further alleged that the Election Commission had become an instrument of political interference, declaring: “The ECI has once again proven that it is nothing more than a puppet in the hands of the BJP - a tool to destroy democracy bit by bit.”
Venugopal drew a comparison with disputes involving the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), claiming that opposition parties were being subjected to measures that threatened their electoral identity.
“They did it in the case of Shiv Sena, NCP, and now AITC - whoever opposes the BJP is dealt a fatal blow and their entire electoral existence is snatched away from them,” he alleged.
The Congress leader demanded that the Election Commission reverse its decision and restore the disputed symbol to Mamata Banerjee, concluding: “We condemn this move, and demand that the ECI immediately restore the two leaves symbol to Mamata Banerjee ji.”
Khera, in a separate post on X, described the Election Commission’s decision as an abdication of its constitutional responsibility rather than an act of justice.
He argued that the breakaway faction had no constitutional foundation for claiming the party’s identity and symbol.
“The ECI’s decision to freeze the AITC symbol is not ‘justice’. It is an abdication of its constitutional responsibility,” Khera said.
“The breakaway faction of the AITC has no constitutional basis and hence, no legitimate claim to the AITC symbol. The symbol belongs to the party that bears its name,” he added.
The dispute has acquired significance amid the reported internal contest over control of the Trinamool Congress, its organisational identity and its reserved election symbol.
The Election Commission’s interim action requires the competing factions to contest under separately allotted identities while the matter is considered.
The Congress’s criticism places the Election Commission’s interim decision within a wider political debate over party splits, electoral symbols and the constitutional role of the poll panel.
Venugopal’s reference to the Shiv Sena and NCP disputes reflects the Congress’s broader allegation that institutional decisions concerning rival party factions have affected opposition political organisations.
The Election Commission’s action remains an interim measure, and the final determination of entitlement to the AITC name and symbol is subject to further proceedings.
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Tags: #Congress condemns ECI freeze on AITC name and symbol# terms it a 'late night birthday gift' on PM Modi's birthday
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