The party may have lost power, but Trinamool still exists. That was what the artisans making Trinamool flags were thinking. So they continued producing the flags as they had done before, while traders stocked them in their shops. They had hoped that the two Assembly by-elections in the state would bring good business.

But the result was exactly the opposite. The Trinamool flags remained unsold. Not a single flag was sold, leaving flag traders facing substantial financial losses.

Why did the flags remain unsold?

After Trinamool lost power in West Bengal in the Assembly elections, internal factionalism within the party intensified. One after another, rebels began emerging, until a large section of the party’s MLAs joined the rebel camp.

At one point, MLA Ritabrata Banerjee was elected Leader of the Opposition and became recognised as the face of the rebel faction. The group began to be referred to as “Bhalo Trinamool”, or the “Good Trinamool”. They claimed to be the legitimate Trinamool and demanded the party’s election symbol.

On the other hand, the party’s founder, Mamata Banerjee, was also unwilling to give up the symbol. Meanwhile, Assembly by-elections were announced in Nandigram and Rejinagar. With two factions claiming the same party and symbol, the Election Commission froze the symbol and barred both sides from using the Trinamool name.

Mamata Banerjee’s faction was given the name Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and allotted the footballer symbol. Ritabrata Banerjee’s faction was named Democratic Trinamool Congress and was allotted the envelope symbol.

However, both candidates backed by Mamata Banerjee subsequently withdrew from the elections.

What happens next?

The Trinamool symbol is currently under judicial consideration. Flag traders are hoping that, in the future, someone will be allowed to use the symbol again.

Several elections, including municipal polls, are expected to take place in the coming days. The traders hope that, by then, these unsold Trinamool flags will finally find buyers.

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