New Delhi, Sept. 19 -- Amid withdrawals, arrests and uncertainty over electoral symbols, the October 6 bypoll continued to throw up fresh twists on Saturday, with the Mamata All India Trinamool Congress' (MAITMC) Rejinagar candidate reversing his decision to quit, an Independent candidate being arrested and the Congress nominee in Nandigram being sent to judicial custody.
The Mamata faction continues to remain in the electoral fray after a dramatic U-turn by its Rejinagar candidate Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, who reversed his decision to withdraw within hours, a day after the faction's Nandigram nominee, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, pulled out of the race after meeting Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
Meanwhile, Congress' Nandigram candidate Milan Pradhan was remanded in judicial custody till October 3 by the Haldia Subdivisional Court. Congress, however, said he would remain in the contest and had himself refused to withdraw despite being behind bars.
Pradhan was arrested on Friday- soon after Mamata Banerjee pledged support to Congress after her party's candidate Sanchita Pradhan Dey withdrew from the contest - on four pending non-bailable warrants in cases dating back to the 2007 anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram.
Police said the cases involve charges including murder, attempt to murder, abduction with intent to murder, causing disappearance of evidence, house trespass and rioting with arms and deadly weapons. He has also been booked under relevant provisions of the Arms Act.
A lawyer for Pradhan said he was remanded to judicial custody for 14 days in connection with three warrants relating to Nandigram police station cases.
He will be produced before the Contai court on Monday in connection with the fourth warrant arising from a Khejuri police station case. The prosecution told the court that Pradhan had been absconding for 19 years.
Police said Pradhan had been chargesheeted as an absconder and repeated attempts to execute the warrants had failed. It said execution of long-pending non-bailable warrants was an Election Commission standing instruction during elections and bypolls, describing the arrest as part of an ongoing special drive.
Congress leaders turned Pradhan's arrest into a political flashpoint, alleging that the old cases were being revived to target the Opposition ahead of the October 6 poll.
Rahul Gandhi called the arrest a "murder of democracy" and alleged "political revenge" by the BJP.
AICC general secretary KC Venugopal alleged that Pradhan was pressured to withdraw, including with offers to drop cases and provide other facilities. He said Pradhan refused, telling party leaders: "Even if you kill me, I will not withdraw."
State Congress president Subhankar Sarkar questioned the timing, asking how police could arrest a candidate when the Model Code of Conduct was in force and the constituency was under the Election Commission. The Congress later held a rally in Kolkata against the arrest.
The BJP rejected the allegations, maintaining that the arrest was linked to pending criminal cases and warrants.
Meanwhile, independent Rejinagar candidate Saiful Islam, the AJUP's Nowda block president, was arrested by police on Saturday from Domkal in connection with an old case. He is scheduled to be produced in court on Sunday.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.