Nandigram bypoll: Cong candidate arrested soon after TMC offers support

Congress candidate Milan Pradhan, whom Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress faction on Friday (September 18) decided to support in the Nandigram Assembly by-poll, was arrested by the West Bengal Police in connection with an old murder case, coinciding with the announcement.

The arrest came amid rapid political developments: the Election Commission first allotted separate names and symbols to the two rival TMC factions, followed by Sanchita Pradhan Dey, the candidate fielded by Mamata’s faction in Nandigram, withdrawing her nomination after meeting Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.

Mamata subsequently announced at a press conference that her faction would support the Congress candidate for the by-election in the constituency to strengthen the INDIA alliance and in the larger interest of the country.

Soon afterwards came the news of Pradhan’s arrest.

‘Politically motivated arrest’: Congress

According to a police source, Pradhan is an accused in an old murder case and an arrest warrant had been issued against him. He is likely to be produced before the Haldia court on Saturday (September 19).

The timing of the arrest has raised questions, with the Congress alleging that the action was politically motivated. Pradesh Congress president Shubhankar Sarkar strongly protested the police action and alleged BJP’s involvement in the development.

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“The BJP is behind this. The party is practising intolerance politics over the election. They want ‘one party, one nation, one vote’,” Sarkar said. He added that an opposition was essential to the democratic process and alleged that the BJP did not want opposition politics to remain.

BJP rejects allegation

The BJP has rejected the allegation, with its local leaders saying the police were carrying out their duties and that the arrest had no political connection.

The legal position, meanwhile, does not automatically prevent Pradhan from contesting the by-poll. A person facing a pending criminal case is not disqualified from contesting merely because he has been arrested or is in custody. Under Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act, disqualification follows conviction for an offence and a sentence of at least two years. The more immediate question is whether Pradhan can campaign while in custody.

Also Read: EC freezes TMC name, symbol for bypolls; rival factions told to pick new identities

A 2017 Delhi High Court ruling in the case of jailed Uttar Pradesh politician Mukhtar Ansari makes it clear that a candidate can contest from custody, but does not automatically get the right to leave jail and campaign.

Whether Pradhan is granted bail when he is produced before the court will be closely watched by the Congress, as his ability to campaign will depend on it. Party sources are hopeful that his status as an election candidate could be one of the factors the court considers while deciding his bail plea.

Prestige fight for Adhikari

The Nandigram by-poll is scheduled for October 6. The constituency fell vacant after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who had won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the 2026 assembly election, chose to retain Bhabanipur. The BJP has fielded Hasirani Rath, mother of Adhikari’s slain aide Chandranath Rath, for the seat.

The electoral battle here is a prestige fight for Adhikari, who has urged Nandigram voters to help the BJP better the 1,09,021-vote margin it secured in the Falta repoll, one of the highest margins recorded in a Bengal election.