In the politics of West Bengal, ‘Football’ is not just a game, but has been the biggest political weapon of public sentiments and aggressive election campaigns of Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee. In the historic assembly elections of 2021, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had given all its strength to win Bengal, Mamata Banerjee had thrown a football from the stage while sitting on a wheelchair and her slogan was 'Khela Hobe' (Khela Hobe) had become popular across the country. On the basis of this slogan and the symbol of football, he returned to power by stopping the victory chariot of BJP. Now see the cycle of destiny and politics – after the split in the party and the freezing of the traditional ‘Flowers and Grass’ election symbol, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has given permission to Mamata Banerjee’s faction to contest the elections. ‘Football Player’ The symbol itself has been allocated.
The Election Commission issued an interim order under Paragraph 15 of the ‘Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order 1968’ following an internal dispute within the Trinamool Congress over party supremacy and control of the organization. The Commission clarified that until the final hearing of the actual majority of both the factions is completed, neither party will be able to use the original name ‘All India Trinamool Congress’ and its traditional election symbol ‘Grass-Phool’ which has been registered for almost three decades.
In view of the upcoming assembly by-elections (Nandigram and Rejinagar), the Commission had sought options for new names and symbols from both the rival factions, after which on Friday the Commission decided the new identity of both the parties:
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Mamata Banerjee faction: New interim name of the party ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ (Mamata All India Trinamool Congress) and new election symbol ‘Football Player’.
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Rebel groups: New interim name of the party ‘Democratic Trinamool Congress’ (Democratic Trinamool Congress) and election symbols ‘Envelope’.
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This interim arrangement has been made effective for the states of West Bengal, Meghalaya and Tripura.
For Mamata Banerjee, football is not just a symbol but also a medium to directly connect with the cultural identity of Bengal (the heritage of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal). When Mamata Banerjee gave the slogan of ‘Khela Hobe’ in the 2021 elections, she later declared August 16 as ‘Khela Hobe Day’ at the government level and distributed lakhs of footballs to thousands of sports clubs across the state.
Political analysts believe that snatching away an established symbol like ‘grass-flower’ is a big blow for any regional party, but in a way, getting the symbol of ‘football player’ in Mamata Banerjee’s account is a boon for her. They will not have to make much effort to connect the voters with this new election symbol, because the voters of Bengal already associate Mamata Banerjee’s name with football and ‘Khela Hobe’.
Mamata Banerjee has expressed her strong anger over the Election Commission freezing the original name and symbol of the party. Describing it as a “black day” of democracy, he directly accused the central government and the investigating agencies of indulging in vendetta politics. Mamata said, “This decision has been taken to satisfy the ego of a political party. Our workers are being harassed and bank accounts are being targeted. But we will never lower our heads. All India Trinamool Congress is my soul and I cannot separate from it as long as I live. We will bounce back in the field.”
This new identity for both the groups is not just on paper, but it is going to be tested in the assembly by-elections to be held on October 6:
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Rajnagar seat: Here, the candidates of Mamata group will face each other on the ‘football player’ symbol and the candidates of the rebel group will face each other on the ‘envelope’ election symbol.
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Nandigram seat: The political equations have become quite interesting in Nandigram seat, where Mamata Banerjee has announced to support the Congress candidate under the India Alliance, while the rebel group is contesting under the banner of ‘Democratic Trinamool Congress’.
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The results of these by-elections will come on October 9, which will make it clear whether the common voter of Bengal trusts Mamata Banerjee’s face and ‘football’ or stands with the rebel group that has separated from the organization.