- Mamata’s support followed her party candidate’s withdrawal.
A political controversy has erupted in West Bengal’s Nandigram ahead of the by-election after Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was arrested hours after Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee extended her support to his candidature.
The timing of the arrest has triggered allegations of political vendetta, with Congress and Mamata questioning why Pradhan was taken into custody just after the TMC leader announced her backing.
Rahul Gandhi targeted the BJP over the development, alleging that the arrest was aimed at undermining the electoral contest.
“The arrest of Congress candidate Milan Pradhan for the Nandigram by-election is no coincidence, it is political vendetta. It is murder of democracy. BJP does not believe in fair elections, so it wants to retain power by sometimes vote theft, sometimes government theft and sometimes party theft,” Gandhi said in an X post.
“They do not want to fight elections, they want to end the electoral contest itself,” he added.
नंदीग्राम उपचुनाव के लिए कांग्रेस उम्मीदवार मिलन प्रधान की गिरफ्तारी कोई संयोग नहीं, राजनीतिक प्रतिशोध है – लोकतंत्र की हत्या है।
BJP का निष्पक्ष चुनाव में भरोसा ही नहीं – इसलिए कभी वोट चोरी, कभी सरकार चोरी और कभी पार्टी चोरी से सत्ता बचाना चाहती है।
वो चुनाव नहीं लड़ना चाहते,…
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 18, 2026
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Why Was Milan Pradhan Arrested?
The Congress candidate was taken into custody in connection with a murder case, according to Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar.
Sarkar said he had been informed that Pradhan was arrested in a murder case but that the party did not yet have complete information about the matter.
“Milan was one of the leading figures of the Nandigram land movement and several cases were registered against him. But why was he arrested today?” Sarkar said.
The development has also drawn a response from West Bengal Opposition Leader Ritabrata Banerjee.
What Did Ritabrata Banerjee Say?
Ritabrata Banerjee said the Democratic Trinamool Congress had filed a complaint against Pradhan and alleged that three murder cases were pending against him.
“We, that is the Democratic Trinamool Congress, have filed a complaint against Milan Pradhan, against whom three murder cases are pending. It is mandatory to execute warrants during elections,” Banerjee said.
Mamata Banerjee Slams BJP Over Candidate’s Arrest
Mamata questioned the timing of the arrest, pointing out that it came soon after she announced support for Pradhan in the Nandigram by-election.
“As soon as support was extended to the Congress candidate in the Nandigram by-election, their candidate Milan Pradhan was arrested. The timing raises serious questions and this is the BJP’s same old tactic: dig up some old case. But why now? Right after our announcement of support,” she said in an X post.
Her remarks came after the Mamata-led TMC camp withdrew its candidate from the Nandigram contest.
ALSO READ: ‘BJP’s Politics Of Vendetta Show …’: Mamata Questions Nandigram Bypoll Congress Candidate’s Arrest
Why Did Mamata Back Congress Candidate?
The Mamata camp’s candidate, Sanchita Pradhan Day, withdrew her nomination on Friday from the Nandigram by-election.
Pradhan Day, a teacher by profession, had been fielded by the Mamata camp as its candidate from Nandigram. She later reached the state secretariat ‘Nabanna’ along with her husband Satyajit and met West Bengal Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari.
Following the withdrawal, Mamata extended her support to Congress candidate Milan Pradhan.
The subsequent arrest of Pradhan has now become a fresh flashpoint between the rival political camps ahead of the Nandigram by-election.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
