Mamata's TMC rollercoaster: 3 days, 3 setbacks, then a breatherNEW DELHI: Once the dominant political force in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress is facing an unusual stretch of turbulence. Questions over the party's identity, leadership and organisational cohesion have all surfaced in the space of just 72 hours.

For years, Mamata and the TMC have been almost synonymous in Bengal politics. But the past three days have brought one jolt after another, leaving the party dealing with a frozen identity, a new name and symbol, a candidate walking away in Nandigram and another nearly doing the same in Rejinagar.

Day 1: EC freezes TMC name and symbolThe first shock came when the Election Commission froze the TMC's familiar party name and its traditional 'flowers-and-grass' symbol amid the battle between Mamata Banerjee and the rival faction led by Arup Roy. The move was more than a technical setback for a party whose name and symbol have been central to its electoral identity for years.

It also came after Mamata's stinging defeat at the hands of the BJP in the assembly polls, leaving the party vulnerable to rebellion and splits in both the state assembly and Parliament. The rebel faction had sought to stake its claim over the TMC's identity after 15 straight years of the party's rule in Bengal.

Day 2: New name, new symbol, then Nandigram shockThe next day brought some clarity, but hardly any comfort for Didi. The Election Commission allotted the 'footballer' symbol to Mamata's faction and the name ' Mamata All India Trinamool Congress'.

The rival faction led by once-a-Didi-loyalist Arup Roy was given the name ' Democratic Trinamool Congress' and the 'envelope' symbol. However, the drama for Didi went ahead to Nandigram seat.

Sanchita Pradhan Dey, the TMC candidate in Nandigram, withdrew her nomination a day before the deadline after meeting Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, the BJP leader who had defeated Mamata in Nandigram. Dey, who had lost her job in connection with the teacher recruitment scam, met Adhikari along with her husb and Satyajit before announcing her withdrawal.

Her reasons were not immediately clear. The development left Mamata scrambling for a candidate in a constituency that is considered a Suvendu Adhikari bastion.

Mamata then backed Congress candidate Milan Pradhan and described Congress as a "sister party", a move that also brought the INDIA bloc back into the picture ahead of the October 6 bypolls. But the reprieve was short-lived.