"BJP puppet": KC Venugopal slams ECI after TMC symbol freeze; BJP MLA claims party "erased" after 2026 loss

The Election Commission of India's (ECI) interim order barring both rival Trinamool Congress factions from using the party's name and symbol has triggered a sharp political row, with the Congress accusing the poll panel of acting at the BJP's behest and the BJP saying that the TMC's "erasure" was inevitable after its 2026 poll defeat. Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal condemned the order, calling it "CEC Gyanesh Kumar's late-night birthday gift to Modi ji" following what he ...