Kolkata, 18 September (H.S.) : In yet another dramatic turn of events in the high-stakes Nandigram Assembly by-election in West Bengal, police arrested Congress candidate Milan Pradhan on Friday, just hours after former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee officially announced her support for his candidacy. According to authorities, the arrest was executed in connection with an old murder case.

The development unfolded shortly after Sanchita Pradhan Dey, the candidate fielded by the Mamata Banerjee-led faction, withdrew her nomination earlier on Friday. Following her withdrawal, Banerjee held a press conference declaring that her camp would not field an alternative candidate in the Nandigram bypoll and would instead back the Congress nominee, Milan Pradhan. However, within hours of this major political endorsement, police took Pradhan into custody.

Police sources indicated that the Congress candidate is an accused in a previous murder case for which an active arrest warrant had been issued, leading to his detention on Friday. Crucially, the arrest occurred just a day before Saturday's final deadline for filing election nominations. The sudden detention of a key opposition candidate in what is widely considered the political stronghold of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has triggered a massive uproar across political circles.

The Congress party reacted furiously to the police action, leveling serious allegations against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Condemning the arrest as a blatant political conspiracy, State Congress President Subhankar Sarkar stated, Suddenly this old case has been brought to the forefront. The BJP is attempting to establish a one-party authoritarian system. Will there be no space left for opposition politics in this country?

The Congress has categorically alleged that the arrest is a premeditated tactic designed to eliminate the opposition from the electoral battlefield right before the elections. Following this high-profile arrest, the political atmosphere in Nandigram has become intensely volatile.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh