North India Statesman
In a dramatic turn of events ahead of the October 6 assembly by-elections in West Bengal, Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was arrested by police on Friday in connection with a 19-year-old murder case dating back to the 2007 Nandigram anti-land acquisition movement. The police action unfolded merely hours after former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee publicly announced that her faction would back the Congress nominee to present a united front under the INDIA alliance.
Dramatic Turn Follows TMC Candidate’s Withdrawal
The political equations in Nandigram shifted rapidly earlier in the day when Sanchita Pradhan De, the initial candidate representing the Mamata-led Trinamool camp, withdrew her nomination following a meeting with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at the state secretariat Nabanna. Following the sudden withdrawal, Banerjee declared that her faction would refrain from fielding a substitute nominee, instead throwing its full organizational weight behind Congress’s Milan Pradhan as a “sister party” alliance partner.
Opposition Cries Foul Over Sudden Action
The sudden revival of a nearly two-decade-old case drew fierce condemnation from both the Congress and Banerjee, who accused the ruling dispensation of weaponizing law enforcement agencies. Senior Congress leaders Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and KC Venugopal questioned the timing, pointing out that Pradhan had filed his nomination in front of the returning officer without incident, only to be arrested once opposition forces aligned. Taking to social media, Banerjee called it the ruling establishment’s standard blueprint to dig up old cases and suppress political rivals.
High-Stakes Battle in Symbolic Epicentre
The assembly seat of Nandigram carries immense political symbolism, having served as the historical bedrock for Bengal’s major political transitions over the last two decades. With the Election Commission recently allocating interim party names and symbols amid internal factional disputes within the Trinamool Congress, the October 6 bypoll has transformed into a critical multi-cornered test of strength. Police are expected to produce Pradhan before a local magistrate in Haldia on Saturday.
