World · India Bureau
Congress candidate arrested hours after Mamata's endorsement in Bengal by-poll
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee threw her support behind a Congress candidate in the Nandigram assembly seat, only for police to arrest him shortly after. The move marks a dramatic political shift ahead of October 6 by-elections.
LSN India ·
A Congress candidate contesting the Nandigram assembly seat in West Bengal was arrested on Friday, hours after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced her party's backing for him. The swift sequence of events has intensified political tensions ahead of by-elections scheduled for October 6 across two constituencies—Nandigram and Reginganj.
The Congress candidate, Milan Pradhan, was taken into custody by West Bengal police shortly after Banerjee publicly endorsed his candidacy. The arrest came after Banerjee's own Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate withdrew from the Nandigram race, creating space for an opposition alliance.
Congress party leaders alleged that the arrest was a politically motivated move, challenging the timing and circumstances. The development underscores mounting tensions between regional and national opposition parties as they compete for anti-incumbent votes in the bypolls.
The Nandigram and Reginganj seats fell vacant, prompting the by-elections. With both major opposition parties contesting separately in different constituencies, the electoral calculations in West Bengal's political landscape remain uncertain.