Congress Candidate for Nandigram Bypoll Arrested

Hours after the Election Commission of India allotted alternative names and symbols to the Trinamool Congress factions led by Mamata Banerjee and Arup Roy, the former Chief Minister withdrew her candidate for the October 6 Assembly bypoll in Nandigram and extended support to the Congress.

But in a jolt to the Opposition, the Congress candidate, Milan Pradhan, was arrested in a murder case dating back to 2007, the year Nandigram was rocked by an agitation over land acquisition. The BJP candidate from Nandigram is Hasirani Rath, mother of Chandranath Rath, Suvendu Adhikari’s aide who was killed days before Adhikari became Chief Minister in May this year.

The Mamata faction candidate, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, met Adhikari Thursday, a day before opting out of the race. The Mamata faction and the Congress demanded the release of Pradhan, the Congress candidate, following his arrest and slammed the BJP. “What is happening in Bengal? Just hours after Mamata Banerjee supported the Congress candidate, he was arrested.

We register our strongest protest. He must be released as soon as possible. Tomorrow there is scrutiny of his nomination. It means he will not be able to attend that,” Kunal Ghosh, MLA from Beleghata who belongs to the Mamata faction, said. Congress state president Subhankar Sarkar, addressing reporters, said, “Only one party and its accomplices will contest polls?

There will be no multi-party system. The arrest of our candidate just shows this. The BJP has an aggressive mindset in the state.” A formal statement from the police on Pradhan’s arrest was awaited. A police officer said Pradhan was among the accused in a murder case dating back to the Nandigram land agitation in 2007.

There was a pending warrant against him against which, the officer claimed. Madan Mitra, MLA from Kamarhati who belongs to the TMC faction opposed to Banerjee, said, “If there is a pending case, police and administration can arrest anyone. Mamata Banerjee should have supported our candidate and not the Congress.

The Congress has no base there.” Earlier in the day, the Election Commission, which had frozen the TMC name and symbol, allotted separate names and symbols to the factions led by Mamata Banerjee and Arup Roy. The Banerjee faction will now be called ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ with a ‘football player’ as its symbol.

The rebel faction will be called the ‘Democratic Trinamool Congress’, and its symbol will be an ‘envelope’. Hitting out at the BJP and the EC, Banerjee said, “First, our bank account was frozen. Now, they have frozen my party’s symbol and name. Earlier, they did this with Uddhav Thackeray.

And now, us. It is a black day for democracy. What happened is illegal and against the Constitution. But we will fight it out. Rahul Gandhi called me last night. Arvind Kejriwal stood with us along with many other leaders. Our INDIA alliance stands together. We will together fight the BJP.” Maintaining that she would fight and win back her party’s name and symbol, she said her faction would not contest the October 6 bypoll in Nandigram, once a TMC stronghold, and would back the Congress candidate.

The announcement came after her faction’s candidate, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, withdrew her nomination. Asked why Dey withdrew her nomination, Banerjee said, “She was threatened. Earlier, she sent us a message that she wanted to contest, and we nominated her. But we decided to support the Congress.” On her party’s new name and symbol, she said, “This is an interim decision.

We responded to the Election Commission because the by-elections are on. We have documents and proof. We are confident of retaining the party’s name and symbol. I am the founding chairperson of the All India Trinamool Congress. While our workers cried last night, their leaders celebrated.

This shows which is the real Trinamool Congress. They are a BJP team. Some leaders have gathered under the banner of BJP for money and to avoid going to jail.” Targeting the BJP, she said, “They (BJP) are not allowing us to hold rallies. Over 14,000 of our workers have been arrested by police who are working on BJP’s behalf in Bengal.

I am virtually under house arrest. But we will fight against all this. We will not surrender and we will bounce back.” While Nandigram and Rejinagar go to polls on October 6, elections to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and Howrah Municipal Corporation will be held after the Durga Puja.