NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday claimed that its candidate for the upcoming Nandigram assembly bypoll, Milan Pradhan, has been arrested, with the development coming hours after the TMC’s Mamata Banerjee faction extended its support to the Congress for the October 6 byelection.According to a senior leader of the Congress’ West Bengal unit, Pradhan was arrested for his alleged involvement in the 2007 anti-land acquisition movement.“This is nothing but a dirty game of the BJP. Milan had been spearheading the Nandigram movement in 2007. He had been named in at least 12 cases since then. But today, because he has successfully filed his nomination, the police were made to arrest him,” the leader told PTI.“Another leader, Subhasish Bhattacharya, was arrested for preventing the police from apprehending Pradhan,” he added.Earlier in the day, former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had announced her TMC faction’s support for the Congress in Nandigram, hours after her candidate, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, withdrew from the contest after meeting West Bengal chief minister and senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.
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Adhikari vacated Nandigram to retain Bhowanipore—a traditional Mamata Banerjee stronghold—where he defeated her in the West Bengal assembly elections held in April. The elections marked the end of TMC’s 15-year rule in West Bengal and paved the way for the BJP to form its first-ever government in the state.Pradhan’s arrest came just a day before the deadline for the withdrawal of nominations. The counting of votes is scheduled for October 9.