Kolkata, September 18, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was arrested on Friday in connection with an old murder case, hours after former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that her faction would support his candidature in the upcoming Nandigram Assembly bypoll.
An East Midnapore district police official confirmed Pradhan’s arrest, saying a warrant had already been issued against him in the case.
The arrest came shortly after Sanchita Pradhan Dey, the candidate fielded by the Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), withdrew her nomination from Nandigram. Banerjee subsequently announced support for the Congress candidate.
The Congress alleged political interference in the arrest. West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president Subhankar Sarkar claimed that a case was suddenly pursued against Pradhan and questioned whether the BJP wanted to eliminate opposition from the electoral contest.
The BJP’s East Midnapore district leadership rejected the allegation and said the party had no role in Pradhan’s arrest.
The Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly constituencies are scheduled to vote on October 6. The Election Commission has set October 9 as the date for counting of votes.
The Nandigram seat fell vacant after Suvendu Adhikari, who won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the earlier Assembly elections, chose to retain Bhabanipur.
The BJP has fielded Hasirani Rath, the mother of Adhikari’s personal assistant Chandranath Rath, who was shot dead in North 24 Parganas on May 6, shortly after the Assembly election results were announced.
The arrest of Pradhan adds another development to an already closely watched Nandigram bypoll, following the withdrawal of the Mamata faction’s candidate and its subsequent decision to back the Congress nominee.
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