by Arun Srivastava
Arrest of Congress candidate Milan Pradhan, Congress nominee for Nandigram ahead of the October 6 bypoll, has sparked intense debate regarding political probity and rightness of Suvendu Adhikari’s tenets of basic governance. It is widely perceived that Suvendu resorted to this vindictive step for simply pushing the opposition into corner, terrorising the voters specially the Muslims, who constitute around 40 per cent of the total electorates and weaken and disrupt INDIA bloc’s electoral campaign.
Suvendu might have become the chief minister enjoying the blessings of Modi and Amit Shah, his action nonetheless presents a picture of frightened politician. He has not learnt the lessons from the past incidents; voters rebel and repel vindictive moves of the rulers by defeating its candidate. Besides it would also be naïve to believe that Mamata Banerjee with the history as a fierce political fighter would accept this nature of aggressive actions by the ruling dispensation. She is an astute politician is clearly borne out of fact that soon after the withdrawal of her candidate, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, Banerjee’s immediately announced support for the Congress candidate, which was echoed by Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal, potentially creating a more consolidated anti-BJP front.
The political developments surrounding the Nandigram assembly bypoll involve intense allegations of political coercion and vendetta, but the motivations remain a matter of heated debate between opposing parties. The high-stakes events unfolding in West Bengal center around Suvendu Adhikari, the withdrawal of Mamata Banerjee camp’s candidate Sanchita Pradhan Dey, and the subsequent arrest of Congress candidate Milan Pradhan. The timeline of these fast-paced events has led to deeply conflicting explanations from the involved political factions: Mamata Banerjee and the Congress leadership allege a calculated political conspiracy. Mamata Banerjee claimed that Sanchita Pradhan Dey was subjected to intense pressure and intimidation to force her withdrawal.
Following Sanchita’s exit, the Mamata camp extended its support to the Congress candidate, Milan Pradhan. Within hours of this announcement, Milan Pradhan was arrested by the West Bengal Police in connection with four pending non-bailable warrants relating to cases registered during the 2007 Nandigram land agitation, including charges of murder, rioting and criminal intimidation. Suvendu was leading the historic 2007 anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram. He was part of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) and helped lead the Bhumi Uchched Pratirodh Committee (BUPC). The agitation, which fiercely opposed the Left Front government’s plans to acquire 10,000 acres of farmland for a chemical hub, led to intense standoffs and widespread violence.
The most severe incident occurred on March 14, 2007, when police entered Nandigram to clear roadblocks set up by the agitators, leading to a firing incident that killed at least 14 villagers. The agitation involved armed clashes between local protesting villagers (backed by BUPC and opposition parties) and cadres of the ruling CPI(M) who attempted to recapture the villages. Thousands of locals who supported the Left Front were also driven out of their homes into relief camps during the peak of the resistance. At the court’s directions two cases involving 73 persons were registered.
On June 9, 2020, the Public Prosecutor in West Bengal moved an application to withdraw multiple criminal cases registered against politicians. This occurred under Section 321 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which allows the state to drop criminal prosecutions. The applications for the withdrawal of these cases were submitted in two phases—the first in February 2020 and the subsequent ones on June 9, 2020.The original cases involved allegations of unlawful assembly, rioting, and violence during the mass anti-land-acquisition protests in Nandigram. The court allowed the state to withdraw the cases. But this move triggered massive legal battle. In February 2020, jurisdictional magistrates allowed withdrawal of four Khejuri Police Station cases, while applications concerning five Nandigram Police Station cases were allowed by jurisdictional magistrates on June 9 and June 10, 2020. The subsequent legal challenge continued before the Calcutta High Court.
The matter went to Supreme Court and in March 2021, the court stayed the operation of the Calcutta High Court order concerning the withdrawal of the 2007 cases after finding that the affected person had not been given an opportunity of being heard. The apex court directed that no coercive legal actions or steps be taken against Supian during this period. The Supreme Court noted that the High Court’s earlier order had been passed without giving Supian a proper opportunity to be heard.
After coming to power, Suvendu used the pending case to screw the INDIA bloc, as Milan posed a serious threat to BJP candidate. But his move has backfired. Milan’s arrest has turned the credibility of Suvendu suspect. Many of his former TMC comrades from the 2007 land agitation, who joined BJP along with him are critical of his approach. Sabuj Pradhan, a close associate of Suvendu, shocked at the arrest of fellow agitator Milan says, “We (Sabuj and Milan) took part in the anti-land-acquisition protest under the leadership of Suvendu despite belonging to a different political party”. The Trinamool Congress government had moved to withdraw the cases in 2020. Suvendu’s old comrades are surprised at the fast development of the events. Within weeks of Suvendu defecting to the BJP, saffron leader Nilanjan Chakraborty challenged the withdrawal process before Calcutta High Court, which ordered the murder cases reopened in a Haldia court. The court issued arrest warrants against 108 people. The leaders who had led the agitation thought the new government would withdraw the false cases, but never imagined that it would end up making arrests. Incidentally Milan was arrested in one of these cases, days after Suvendu promised at a party rally that he would withdraw all the purportedly false cases against the 2007 land agitators.
The arrest of Milan Pradhan was executed on pending arrest warrants, just after he was nominated by Congress to contest the by poll. Shockingly though the case dates back to 2007, the police only executed the arrest immediately after Mamata Banerjee’s faction withdrew its own nominee and announced support for Milan. Yet another factor which is of immense significance is why Suvendu Adhikari—who was a prominent frontline leader steering the 2007 Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee (BUPC) agitation—is not facing the same trial.
Arrest of Congress candidate has indeed sent a shock wave in the political circle: How could Gujarati duo venture to arrest the Congress candidate in the midst of electioneering as it simply prove to be counterproductive for them. A setback here would directly undermine the authority of Modi and Shah more than the Suvendu’s dominion. For Modi and Shah, failing to win a seat where the primary opposition is so fragmented would be a significant structural set back and erosion of their image across the country. Suvendu’s move to evolve a new social engineering alien to saffron culture is also at scrutiny. Counting of votes on October 9, 2026, will dictate whether the BJP successfully solidifies its historic momentum in West Bengal or gives the newly aligned opposition a crucial psychological breakthrough.
Opposition parties are actively leveraging the timing of the arrest—which occurred mere hours after Mamata Banerjee announced her support—to build a narrative of political vendetta, state overreach, and “intimidation”. The latest developments would also help create a perception of heavy-handedness which would eventually generate sympathy votes and boost voter turnout for the INDIA bloc. People of Nandigram as well as the political circle are quite surprised at the singling out of Milan for arrest, while there were nearly fifty names on the list. Suvendu is resorting to this tactics to ensure the victory of BJP candidate, Hasirani Rath, mother of Chandranath Rath, a close aide and personal assistant to Adhikari who was killed earlier this year. Milan and Suvendu were part of the Bhoomi Uchchhed Protirodh Committee, formed to protest the Left Front’s aggressive industrialisation policy that required the acquisition of land.
An electoral setback for the BJP at this stage while would significantly dent the momentum of Suvendu’s administration, it would pose serious threats to the politics and policies of Modi and Amit and seriously question the leadership quality and promises they made to the people of Bengal, especially the Bhadralok, just ahead of assembly elections. Suvendu’s political authority is heavily tied to the 2026 massive, fresh mandate. Early electoral losses would allow a fragmented opposition to claim that public buyers’ remorse has set in quickly. Already its five month stay in power has invited serious public reprimand and criticism for its failure to devote to peoples’ cause, instead indulging in Muslim hate politics. The BJP’s victory was built on a fierce, ideologically charged campaign focusing on nationalist and cultural revival. A defeat in Nandigram would signal that the party’s aggressive “saffron drive”—including policies regarding uniform governance and cultural identity—is facing immediate pushback from Bengal’s deeply nuanced electorate.
A victory for the INDIA bloc in the Nandigram by-poll would intensely boost the political stature of Mamata and reshape the opposition’s trajectory in West Bengal. Wresting this high-profile constituency back from the BJP would deliver an immense psychological and political blow to Suvendu and his government. A Congress win in Nandigram bypoll would boost the political image of the INDIA opposition alliance, Mamata Banerjee, and Rahul Gandhi. A shared victory proves that opposition parties can work together against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It would rejuvenate the Congress cadres in Bengal and also at national level. This victory would further boost the national image of Rahul Gandhi and validate his aggressive anti-BJP stance. It is worth noticing tha Rahul described arrest of Milan as a “murder of democracy” and “political revenge,” and promising that the Congress would fight and win.
He has framed the arrest as an attempt by the BJP to “end the electoral fight”. The win would also position Rahul as a cohesive leader capable of steering complex state-level alliances within the broader national opposition framework. No doubt it would mark a dramatic electoral resurrection for the Congress in a state where it was widely considered a minor player. Thye biggest set back for BJP would be reversing the BJP’s momentum in West Bengal. An opposition win would allow the INDIA bloc to reclaim the pro-farmer, grassroots narrative that the BJP has co-opted in the region.
Ironically in the wake of arrest if Milan sharp differences between Suvendu Adhikari and the West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya leadership have appeared in a strong manner on the issue of how to approach minority voters. While Suvendu is for hardline stance, Samik favours inclusive or non-distinction policies. Samik has publicly sought to distance the party from Suvendu’s exclusionary rhetoric, emphasizing that the party does not formally distinguish between majority and minority voters. Electoral loss could widen these cracks, leading to internal questions over leadership and strategy.
source : countercurrents