Congress candidate Milan Pradhan arrested in 2007 Nandigram murder case
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Congress candidate Milan Pradhan has been arrested in West Bengal in connection with a murder case dating back to the 2007 Nandigram anti-land acquisition protests.
The arrest took place hours after former chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced that her faction would support his candidature in the October 6 Assembly bypoll.
The arrest came after Banerjee announced at a press conference at her Kalighat residence on Friday that her faction would back the Congress candidate in Nandigram. Her announcement followed the withdrawal of Sanchita Pradhan Dey, who had been fielded by her faction, after a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
Banerjee described the Congress as a “sister party” and said the decision was intended to strengthen the INDIA bloc. “Let the message (for strengthening INDIA bloc) begin from Bengal,” she said.
The Nandigram movement against land acquisition in 2007 was a major political struggle for Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress, which used the movement to campaign against the Left Front government. The Left Front had governed West Bengal for 34 years before the Trinamool Congress came to power in 2011.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said Banerjee was free to announce her support but maintained that the Congress had not sought it. “She is a political leader. She can say anything she wants,” he said.
The developments came as the Election Commission froze the use of the name “All India Trinamool Congress” and the party's traditional “flowers and grass” symbol for the October 6 bypolls.
The Mamata Banerjee faction was allotted the name Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and the Football Player symbol, while the rival faction led by Arup Roy was allotted the name Democratic Trinamool Congress and the Envelope symbol.