Kolkata: Milan Pradhan, the Congress candidate for the forthcoming bypoll for Nandigram Assembly constituency in East Midnapore district of West Bengal, was arrested on Friday in an old case, confirmed an official of the East Midnapore district police.
The arrests took place hours after Sanchita Dey Pradhan, the candidate from the Mamata Banerjee-led faction in the Trinamool Congress for the bypoll in Nandigram, withdrew her nomination and the former West Bengal Chief Minister announced her support towards Congress in Nandigram.
An insider from the district police said that the Congress candidate from Nandigram was accused in an old murder case. “A warrant was already also issued in his name, and he was arrested in connection with it on Friday,” said the district police officer.
The Congress candidate’s arrest before the bypoll created a stir in the political circles in West Bengal. The Congress alleged that the BJP did not want to have anything called opposition before the elections.
West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) president Subhankar Sarkar told media persons that suddenly a case was filed against Milan, and he was arrested thereafter.
“In this way, the BJP is trying to create a one-party rule in West Bengal. Will there be no opposition politics in this state as well as in the country?” questioned Sarkar and said the current ruling party in the state hatched a political conspiracy in the arrest of his party’s candidate.
However, the BJP’s East Midnapore district rubbished the allegation and claimed that the party had no connection with the arrest of the Congress candidate.
Nandigram, along with Rejinagar Assembly Constituency in Murshidabad district, is going to bypolls on October 6 and the results will be declared on November 9.
In the Assembly elections held earlier this year, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari won from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur. He defeated former CM and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur and chose to retain that seat, leaving Nandigram vacant and necessitating the bypoll.
BJP has fielded Hasirani Rath, mother of Adhikari’s personal assistant Chandranath Rath, who was shot dead in North 24 Parganas on May 6, soon after the Assembly election results were announced. Her candidature has added an emotional element to the campaign.
(IANS)
