After losing national party status, TMC exploring legal options to challenge EC decision

A day after losing the national-party tag, the Trinamool Congress said it is seeking legal and constitutional opinion on the matter.

On Monday, the Election Commission withdrew the national party status of the Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Communist Party of India (CPI).

“It was a legal proceedings. Party appeared before the ECI in the hearing. Submitted both oral and written arguments on various provisions of the statute. Thereafter, ECI has passed a detailed order withdrawing the recognition of AITC as National Party but allowed (it) to continue as State Party in West Bengal, Meghalaya and Tripura (sic),” Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Trinamool’s Rajya Sabha MP said.

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He added: “The order is being perused from legal and constitutional points of view. In the event, (the) party takes any further decision in the matter the same shall be made known.”

Oppn blames TMC’s politics

However, the Trinamool’s loss has offered the Opposition in Bengal, prominently the BJP, an opportunity to link the development with issues of concern and the party’s politics in the state.

Dilip Ghosh, BJP’s national vice president, said the TMC went around the country and spent money, but couldn’t keep the national status. “For once or more, they may have got votes in the states but couldn’t continue so,” Ghosh has said.

He attributed the same to the law and order situation of the state, a collapsing situation in the administration, and a politics of violence and corruption.

“The entire country has come to know…. This was to happen…. In today’s situation, no party can protect its existence without development (work). There should be learning from this, else the situation may be even worse in future,” he said.

BJP Bengal unit president Sukanta Majumdar, in a tweet, claimed that Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee’s “aspiration to grow” her party found no place.

He blamed the Trinamool-run government, pointing out the alleged corruption as one of several factors. Majumdar made political speculation: “Govt’s fall is also certain as people of WB (West Bengal) will not tolerate this govt for long,” he stated.

Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the Trinamool wanted to go to other states, oppose the Congress, dent into its vote bank, and take the same in its favour, pitching itself as the original Congress it looked for a national stature, but its efforts turned futile.