Nandigram bypoll: Congress candidate Milan Pradhan arrested in old murder case
Synopsis
Hours after TMC's Nandigram candidate withdrew and Mamata Banerjee announced Congress support, Congress nominee Milan Pradhan was arrested in an old murder case — a sequence of events that has electrified West Bengal's already charged bypoll battleground ahead of the 6 October vote.
Key Takeaways
Milan Pradhan , the Congress candidate for the Nandigram bypoll , was arrested on 18 September 2026 in an old murder case.
A warrant had already been issued in his name before the arrest was executed by East Midnapore district police .
The arrest followed Sanchita Dey Pradhan 's withdrawal of her TMC nomination and Mamata Banerjee 's declaration of support for Congress in Nandigram.
WBPCC president Subhankar Sarkar alleged the BJP engineered a political conspiracy to eliminate opposition ahead of the bypoll.
BJP's East Midnapore unit denied any role in the arrest.
The Nandigram bypoll is scheduled for 6 October , with results on 9 November .
Congress candidate Milan Pradhan, who is set to contest the upcoming bypoll for the Nandigram Assembly constituency in East Midnapore district, West Bengal, was arrested on Friday, 18 September 2026, in connection with an old murder case, confirmed an official of the East Midnapore district police. A warrant had already been issued in his name before the arrest was carried out.
Timing of the Arrest
The arrest came just hours after Sanchita Dey Pradhan, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate backed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's faction, withdrew her nomination for the Nandigram bypoll. Around the same time, the former West Bengal Chief Minister announced her support for the Congress candidate in Nandigram — making the timing of Milan Pradhan's arrest politically significant.
According to the district police, a warrant had been pending against Pradhan in the old murder case and the arrest was executed in connection with that warrant on Friday.
Congress Alleges Political Conspiracy
The arrest triggered an immediate political backlash. The West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) president Subhankar Sarkar claimed that a case was suddenly filed against Pradhan before his arrest. 'In this way, the BJP is trying to create a one-party rule in West Bengal. Will there be no opposition politics in this state as well as in the country?' Sarkar said, accusing the ruling party of engineering a political conspiracy to eliminate opposition ahead of the bypoll.
Sarkar alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is the ruling party at the Centre, had a hand in the arrest and was attempting to suppress opposition voices in the state.
BJP Denies Any Role
The BJP's East Midnapore district unit rejected the allegations outright and denied any connection with the arrest of the Congress candidate. The party maintained that the arrest was a routine law-enforcement action unrelated to electoral politics.
The Nandigram Bypoll Context
The Nandigram seat fell vacant after West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari won from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the Assembly elections held earlier this year. He defeated former Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur and chose to retain that seat, making the Nandigram bypoll necessary.
The BJP has fielded Hasirani Rath, the mother of Adhikari's personal assistant Chandranath Rath, who was shot dead in North 24 Parganas on 6 May, shortly after the Assembly election results were declared. Her candidacy has brought an emotional dimension to the campaign.
Nandigram, along with Rejinagar Assembly Constituency in Murshidabad district, is scheduled to go to bypolls on 6 October, with results to be declared on 9 November. Pradhan's arrest, just weeks before polling day, is expected to intensify political tensions in the constituency.
Point of View
It sets a troubling precedent for opposition politics in a state that has long wrestled with poll-season legal manoeuvres. The Congress allegation is serious: if true, it represents a weaponisation of criminal procedure for electoral ends. But the BJP's denial also deserves scrutiny — district-level police in West Bengal have historically been aligned with the ruling TMC, not the BJP. The murkier possibility, which most coverage is too cautious to name, is that neither the Centre nor the BJP may have been the primary actor here.
NationPress
18 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Milan Pradhan, the Congress candidate for Nandigram, arrested?
Milan Pradhan was arrested on 18 September 2026 by East Midnapore district police in connection with an old murder case in which a warrant had already been issued in his name. The arrest took place hours after a significant realignment in the Nandigram bypoll race.
What is the connection between the arrest and the Nandigram bypoll?
The arrest came shortly after TMC's Nandigram candidate Sanchita Dey Pradhan withdrew her nomination and Mamata Banerjee announced support for Congress. Congress alleged the BJP orchestrated the arrest to remove opposition; BJP denied any involvement.
When is the Nandigram bypoll scheduled?
The Nandigram bypoll is scheduled for 6 October, along with the Rejinagar Assembly Constituency bypoll in Murshidabad district. Results for both seats will be declared on 9 November.
Why is the Nandigram seat going to a bypoll?
The seat fell vacant after West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the earlier Assembly elections. He chose to retain Bhabanipur — where he defeated former CM Mamata Banerjee — making a bypoll in Nandigram necessary.
Who are the main candidates in the Nandigram bypoll?
The BJP has fielded Hasirani Rath, mother of Adhikari's personal assistant Chandranath Rath, who was shot dead in North 24 Parganas on 6 May after the Assembly results. Congress is fielding Milan Pradhan, whose arrest has now become the central controversy of the campaign.
