Former West Bengal Chief Minister and a faction leader of the All India Trinamool Congress Mamata Banerjee. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the Trinamool Congress on Monday (September 21, 2026) unveiled a new logo featuring its interim symbol — a football player. The party leadership asked its leaders and elected representatives to popularise the symbol ahead of bypolls for two seats in West Bengal.
The party’s new symbol is a footballer in the middle of a logo. And around it, the party’s new name ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ is written in white letters on a blue background. The logo also has touches of these three colors — saffron, white and green.
In the 2021 Assembly polls, Mamata Banerjee had coined the slogan of “Khela Hobe [Game is On]” and had campaigned with footballs. This was the reason Ms. Banerjee chose football as the first choice of the symbol when the Election Commission asked her faction to decide on a fresh symbol.
The Election Commission on September 18 frozen the grass and twin flowers of the symbol of the Trinamool Congress, which the party has been using for the past 28 years. The commission said neither the Mamata Banerjee faction nor the Arup Roy faction could use the symbol and the name All India Trinamool Congress.
By-polls to Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly seats are scheduled for October 6. The Mamata-led Trinamool Congress candidate has withdrawn from the contest in Nandigram and Ms. Banerjee has decided to support the Congress candidate. The party candidate at Rejinagar, Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, is contesting the by-polls. Mr. Chowdhury, who said he wanted to withdraw from the contest, later decided to stay put in the electoral battle, was seen making wall graffiti with the new symbol of football player at Rejinagar.
The Ritabrata Banerjee faction has got ‘envelope’ as the symbol and name Democratic Trinamool Congress.
Civic polls
The symbol is crucial to the Mamata Banerjee faction as it is likely to be used by the party during the coming civic polls and the panchayat polls. There are talks in the political circles that civic polls may be held after the Durga Puja and the panchayat polls scheduled in 2028 may be advanced.
The Mamata Banerjee faction has challenged the poll panel order of symbol freeze and approached the Supreme Court. The top court on Monday (September 21) agreed to urgently list her petition, with the rival side also set to get an opportunity to make its submissions.
Published – September 21, 2026 06:27 pm IST
