West Bengal Police detained Milan Pradhan on Friday, stripping the Congress of its contesting candidate for the Nandigram Assembly bypoll scheduled for October 6. The move landed like a grenade in the state’s political arena, occurring mere hours after former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declared TMC’s endorsement of Pradhan. This endorsement came immediately after Sanchita Pradhan Dey, the TMC’s original nominee, pulled out of the race following a meeting with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at the Nabanna secretariat.
The timing is the flashpoint. Rahul Gandhi, the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, labeled the detention "political revenge" and a "murder of democracy" in a post on X. He accused the BJP of lacking faith in fair elections, claiming they prefer "vote theft" and "stealing parties" over contesting on merit. "The Congress will neither fear nor bow down," Gandhi wrote, warning that the party would fight and win despite the alleged conspiracies.
Banerjee echoed this sentiment, arguing the arrest exposed the BJP’s "politics of vendetta." She alleged the state government dug up an old murder case to target Pradhan instantly after the TMC alignment was announced. "With manipulation, with vote loot, with intimidation, the Election Agency-BJP partnership is killing democracy every day," she claimed, suggesting a coordinated effort to suppress opposition voices.
The legal reality, however, is stark. Pradhan’s arrest stems from a pre-existing murder case, not an immediate election-related offense. He is scheduled to appear before a court in Haldia on Saturday. This date is critical: it coincides with the deadline for withdrawing nominations for the bypoll. If the court grants bail or delays the process, the electoral calculus for the Nandigram seat shifts dramatically.
The BJP hit back hard at the TMC-Congress alliance. Samik Bhattacharya, the party’s Bengal chief, dismissed the TMC as defunct, calling the Congress a "parasite" seeking survival by latching onto regional parties. "Whoever associates with the Trinamool will also go down," Bhattacharya warned, challenging Congress leader Adhir Ranjan to clarify the party’s stance on aligning with a group he claims no longer exists in West Bengal politics.