# Congress Nandigram candidate arrested, opposition cries vendetta 2026-09-18T17:37:22+00:00 | Politics | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 3 independent outlets Congress candidate Milan Pradhan for the October 6 Nandigram Assembly bypoll was arrested on Friday by West Bengal Police in connection with an old murder case. The arrest came hours after West Bengal former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced support for Pradhan following the withdrawal of her party's candidate Sanchita Pradhan Dey, who met Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at Nabanna. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi called the arrest "political revenge" and a "murder of democracy". Banerjee alleged a "politics of vendetta" and said the Election Commission and BJP were working in tandem. Congress state president Subhankar Sarkar said their candidate was getting threat calls. Police sources, however, said the arrest was based on an old case and had no relation to the election. Pradhan is likely to be produced before a Haldia court on Saturday, the deadline for withdrawal of nominations. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The coverage splits on the arrest's motive. Times Now and India TV lead with opposition leaders' allegations of political vendetta and murder of democracy, framing the arrest as a BJP plot to eliminate a strong candidate. The Hindu includes the same allegations but also gives space to police sources who deny any electoral link, and adds context about Nandigram being Adhikari's home bastion. The balanced reading: the timing is politically awkward for the ruling party, but the case itself is an old murder charge, not a fresh one. The court production on Saturday, the last day for nomination withdrawals, will show whether Pradhan remains in the race. ## Coverage - indiatvnews.com (neutral report) Leads with opposition criticism but reports arrest fact without endorsement - timesnownews.com (government critical) Foregrounds opposition allegations of vendetta and election commission complicity - thehindu.com (neutral report) Gives balanced space to opposition allegations and police denial, adds political context Tags: BJP, Congress, Mamata Banerjee, Milan Pradhan, Nandigram, Rahul Gandhi Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/rahul-gandhi-mamata-banerjee-slam-bjp-over-arrest-of-congress-candidate/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/rahul-gandhi-mamata-banerjee-slam-bjp-over-arrest-of-congress-candidate/#story-in-brief