Congress Nandigram Candidate Milan Pradhan Arrested After Mamata Backs Him

September 18, 2026

Nandigram: Congress candidate for the Nandigram Assembly bypoll, Milan Pradhan, was arrested on Friday in connection with an old case, hours after former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that her faction of the Trinamool Congress would support his candidature in the October 6 bypoll. Reports said the arrest was linked to an old murder case.

The development came after Sanchita Pradhan Dey, who had been fielded by the Mamata Banerjee-led faction in Nandigram, withdrew her candidature. She had met West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at the state secretariat, Nabanna, before withdrawing from the contest.

Mamata Announces Support for Congress Candidate

Mamata Banerjee announced that her faction would back Pradhan in Nandigram, saying the move was aimed at strengthening opposition unity. She said her faction would continue its political fight and would not surrender.

Banerjee also said Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi had spoken to her on Thursday about the need for opposition unity against the BJP. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, however, said the Congress had not sought TMC’s support.

Milan Pradhan Arrested in Old Case

Pradhan was arrested later in the day in connection with the old case. NDTV reported that the case relates to a murder during the 2007 Nandigram anti-land acquisition protests, while other reports have described it as an old murder case.

The arrest has drawn a political response from the Congress. Congress spokesperson Mita Chakraborty questioned the timing of the action, alleging that Pradhan was arrested within hours of receiving Mamata’s support. Her comments were political allegations and not an independent finding about the circumstances of the arrest.

Election Commission Changes TMC Name and Symbol

The development came amid an ongoing dispute over the identity of the Trinamool Congress. The Election Commission had barred the rival factions from using the existing All India Trinamool Congress name and its traditional flowers-and-grass symbol for the current bypolls pending a substantive determination of the dispute.

For the October 6 bypolls, the Mamata Banerjee-led faction was subsequently allotted the name Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and the Football Player symbol, while the rival faction led by Arup Roy was allotted Democratic Trinamool Congress and the Envelope symbol.