Mamata Banerjee, Milan Pradhan (centre) and Shubhankar Sarkar amid the political twists surrounding the Nandigram Assembly bypoll.
Congress questioned why action in the old case came on the same day that Banerjee announced support for Pradhan.
Banerjee subsequently announced support for Congress candidate Milan Pradhan, describing Congress as a “sister party” and saying the move was intended to strengthen the INDIA bloc. We are doing this for the greater interest of the nation,” Banerjee said, according to PTI. “We are extending our support to Congress in Nandigram. The timing of the arrest triggered a political dispute.
The support was followed by another major development when Pradhan was ‘arrested’ in connection with a case linked to the 2007 anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram, Purba Medinipur district. Police sources told PTI that Pradhan had been named in more than 12 cases related to the movement. The Nandigram bypoll is scheduled for October 6, while the last date for withdrawal of nominations is Saturday.
The developments unfolded a day before the deadline for withdrawal of nominations and came amid a broader reshaping of the contest after the Election Commission allotted new names and symbols to the two rival TMC factions, news agency PTI reported. Sarkar also alleged that the action was aimed at eliminating opposition from the electoral arena and accused the BJP of trying to establish a one-party political system, ANI reported. The BJP rejected the allegations, saying the police were merely carrying out their duties and that the arrest had no political connection, PTI reported. With the Mamata faction stepping aside, Congress receiving its support, Pradhan facing arrest and the BJP and rival TMC faction remaining in the contest, the configuration of the Nandigram battle changed sharply over the course of a single day. (With agency inputs) You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kolkata | Silver Rate in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata | Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Petrol Price in Kolkata | Diesel Price in Kolkata | CNG Price in Kolkata | LPG Price in Kolkata Stay updated with the latest Kolkata news.
PTI said the reason for her withdrawal was not immediately clear. Speaking to ANI, West Bengal Congress president Shubhankar Sarkar said the party was not clear whether Pradhan had been formally arrested. It’s not clear what’s going on,” Sarkar said. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal alleged that the BJP was attempting to “hijack democracy” and questioned the use of what he described as a dormant 19-year-old case.
The first major turn came when Mamata Banerjee’s faction candidate Sanchita Pradhan Dey withdrew from the Nandigram race after meeting chief minister Suvendu Adhikari at the state secretariat Nabanna. She had met Adhikari along with her husband Satyajit. Her exit left the Mamata camp without a candidate in Nandigram. The faction had meanwhile been allotted the name ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ and the ‘Football Player’ symbol for the bypoll. “What will I say about this? He hasn’t been shown arrested yet. The police came and took him, but they haven’t shown an arrest yet. The day’s developments also unfolded against the backdrop of the Election Commission assigning separate names and symbols to the rival TMC factions. The Mamata camp was allotted ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ and the ‘Football Player’ symbol, while the rival faction was allotted ‘Democratic Trinamool Congress’ and the ‘Envelope’ symbol. Download the TOI App.
KOLKATA: The Nandigram assembly bypoll took a dramatic turn on Friday as Mamata Banerjee ‘s faction’s candidate withdrew from the race, prompting the former chief minister to back Congress nominee Milan Pradhan, who was later ‘arrested’ in connection with an old case. A Congress leader said Pradhan was picked up from a hotel in Chandipur and was likely to be produced before a court in Haldia on Saturday, PTI reported.
This is BJP’s latest effort to ensure ‘Opposition-Mukt Bharat’, successfully converting our great Constitutional democracy into a Banana Republic,” Venugopal said in a post on X. “Using a dormant 19-year old case from 2007 to arrest our candidate – minutes after Mamata Banerjee ji extended support – is a sign that BJP will go to any lengths to hijack democracy,” he added. “Democracy is on ventilator in BJP’s West Bengal.