Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was arrested in West Bengal on Friday in connection with an old alleged murder case, hours after former chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced that her faction would support his candidature in the October 6 Nandigram Assembly bypoll.
The arrest triggered a fresh political controversy in West Bengal, with Congress leaders questioning the timing of the police action.
Congress spokesperson Mita Chakraborty alleged that Pradhan’s arrest came shortly after Banerjee publicly backed his candidature and accused the authorities of attempting to intimidate the Opposition.
A senior Congress leader, quoted by PTI, also alleged that Pradhan had faced multiple cases dating back to the 2007 Nandigram land-acquisition protests and claimed that his arrest was linked to his participation in the bypoll. These are allegations by Congress and have not been independently established.
Mamata Announces Support For Congress Candidate
The arrest followed a significant development in the Nandigram bypoll earlier on Friday.
Banerjee announced that her faction would not field another candidate from Nandigram and would instead support Congress nominee Milan Pradhan. The decision came after her faction’s candidate, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, withdrew her nomination following a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
The Nandigram bypoll is scheduled for October 6, with counting set for October 9.
Banerjee presented the decision as an effort to maintain Opposition unity against the BJP.
Arrest Linked To Old Case
According to current reports, Pradhan was arrested in connection with an old alleged murder case. NDTV reported that the arrest took place after Banerjee’s announcement of support.
Other reports also linked the arrest to an older case, while Congress leaders alleged that the timing was politically motivated. No independent evidence establishing a connection between Banerjee’s announcement and the police action has been reported so far.
Nandigram Contest Takes Another Turn
The developments come amid a broader dispute within the Trinamool Congress and a major change in the electoral identities of its rival factions.
The Election Commission has frozen the original TMC name and symbol for the upcoming bypolls and allotted separate names and symbols to the two factions.
Against that backdrop, Mamata Banerjee’s decision to support the Congress candidate had already altered the Nandigram contest before Pradhan’s arrest added another layer to the political dispute.
The Congress has demanded answers over the arrest, while the legal proceedings in the old case will determine the immediate status of Pradhan.