Kolkata: Election Commission has written to both the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress and the rebel faction headed by Ritabrata Banerjee, seeking their responses to rival claims over the party’s organisational elections and authorised signatories. Both camps have been asked to submit their replies by 5.30pm on July 6.The development comes hours after the Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction met the full bench of the EC in New Delhi, staking claim to being the “real” Trinamool and asserting its entitlement to the party’s name and election symbol.Addressing reporters after meeting CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the election commissioners, Ritabrata Banerjee said his faction enjoyed the support of more than two-thirds of the party’s MLAs, a majority of former ministers, councillors and zilla parishad members.“We have not come here to make any demands because we ourselves are the real party,” he said.The rebel camp also informed the EC that a special convention of party delegates on June 22 had elected veteran legislator Arup Roy as the party’s new chairperson, replacing former chief minister Mamata Banerjee, while MLA Akhruzzaman was elected treasurer.According to Ritabrata Banerjee, the EC had assured the delegation that all documents submitted by the faction would be examined before an appropriate decision was taken.The Mamata Banerjee camp questioned the EC’s decision to meet the rebel delegation.TMC MP Sagarika Ghose said only authorised representatives of a recognised political party could meet the EC and alleged that expelled party members had been given a hearing.TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said the Trinamool Congress “cannot exist without Mamata Banerjee” and described the rebels’ claim as untenable.TMC MP Saugata Roy argued that neither the anti-defection law nor the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, permits a breakaway group of legislators to claim a recognised party’s official symbol. He cited the EC’s approach during the 1969 split in the Indian National Congress as precedent.The crisis within the party escalated after 58 of the TMC’s 80 MLAs broke away following the assembly poll defeat. The rebels subsequently backed Ritabrata Banerjee as LoP and announced a 30-member National Working Committee. More MLAs and councillors have since joined the faction.