“We will fight and win”: Rahul Gandhi vows after Congress’s Nandigram bypoll candidate arrest; alleges “political revenge”

New Delhi [India], September 19 (ANI): The by-election battle for Nandigram, scheduled for October 6, has turned into a full-blown political storm after Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was arrested in connection with an old murder case just hours after Mamata Banerjee's TMC faction announced support for him. Congress leaders have united in condemning the arrest, vowing to emerge victorious in the by-polls.
Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi claimed that the arrest was "no coincidence," but rather politically motivated. He accused the BJP of "clinging" to power through "vote theft and stealing government and parties", stating that its aim is to "end the electoral fight". 
"The arrest of Congress candidate Milan Pradhan for the Nandigram by-election is no coincidence—it is political revenge, the murder of democracy. The BJP has no faith in fair elections—that's why it wants to cling to power sometimes through vote theft, sometimes through stealing governments, and sometimes through stealing parties. They don't want to contest elections; they want to end the electoral fight altogether. The Congress will neither fear nor bow down. We will fight—and we will win," he said on X. 
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge levelled similar charges, calling the arrest "a brazen attempt at VOTE CHORI and CHUNAV CHORI," asserting that Congress will fight back.  
"The BJP is so insecure that even in a by-election, it is misusing agencies to target and arrest an Opposition candidate. The Prime Minister boasts of India as the “Mother of Democracy”. What the BJP is doing in West Bengal is the MURDER OF DEMOCRACY. Congress will neither be intimidated nor silenced. A united INDIA will fight back," Kharge said on X. 
Weighing in on the row, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, in a self-made video, questioned the timing of the arrest, condemning the development ahead of the bypolls. 
"Today suddenly, without any provocation, without any rhyme or reason, the Congress candidate Milan Pradhan has been arrested by the local police," he said, adding, "What is striking to note is that the same person who has filed his candidacy as a Congress representative and also taken the oath in front of the returning officer, who is supposed to be the District Collector of the district, at that time he was not arrested. That time, he filed his nomination without any hassle...When other political parties are extending him their support, BJP got scared and out of desperation arrested him in order to thwart our prospects," said Chowdhury. 
The arrest follows the Election Commission's interim order barring both TMC factions of their original name and "Flowers and Grass" symbol, and the withdrawal of the Banerjee faction's own Nandigram candidate, Sanchita Pradhan Dey.
Mamata Banerjee herself linked the arrest directly to her endorsement. 
"Minutes after we extended our support to the Congress candidate for the bypoll in Nandigram, the Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was arrested. The timing raises serious questions and is the usual BJP formula: dig out an old case. But why now? Just after we announced support to the Congress!" Banerjee said in a post on X.
However, West Bengal Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee, who leads the rival Trinamool Congress faction, defended the arrest after Gandhi's post, citing alleged murder cases against Pradhan. 
"We, the Democratic Trinamool Congress have lodged a complaint against Milan Pradhan, who has three murder cases pending against him. During elections it's mandatory to execute the warrant. The State Cong Leadership probably has not intimated the actual details to Sri @RahulGandhi," Ritabrata Banerjee said on X. 
The political row comes a day after the Election Commission issued an interim order barring both rival TMC factions from using the party's original name, "All India Trinamool Congress", and its traditional "Flowers and Grass" or "Jora Phool" symbol, pending a final determination of the organisational dispute.
The Commission subsequently allotted the Mamata Banerjee-led faction the name "Mamata All India Trinamool Congress" and the "Football Player" symbol, while the rival faction led by Arup Roy was allotted the name "Democratic Trinamool Congress" and the "Envelope" symbol. The interim arrangement applies to the upcoming bypolls.
Banerjee called the ruling a "black day," asserting she could not leave the TMC: "It will always be with me until I leave this world." 
Meanwhile, Akhruzzaman, representing the rival faction and chief whip in the West Bengal Assembly, rejected Banerjee's position and claimed that his group was the "original Trinamool Congress".
Compounding matters, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, the Banerjee faction's Nandigram nominee, withdrew her candidacy after reportedly meeting CM Suvendu Adhikari, prompting Mamata Banerjee to back Congress's Pradhan instead, calling Congress a "sister party".
The BJP hit back at the opposition allegations by pointing to the judicial and constitutional processes involved in party disputes.
BJP National General Secretary Smriti Z Irani questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's criticism of the Election Commission, referring to instances during Congress-led governments.
"Taking a jibe at the BJP, Rahul Gandhi today presented the dark history of his own party. Is it not true that in 1980, the Central Govt of Congress dismissed 9 State Govts in the country by taking the help of Article 356? Is it not true that during UPA rule in 2005, Congress party dissolved the Bihar Assembly? This act of Congress was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Why do the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi attack the Election Commission again and again? Whose agenda is Rahul Gandhi pushing?" Irani said.
BJP MP Sambit Patra also attacked Gandhi's criticism of the ECI order.
"Firstly, Rahul Gandhi shows absolutely no respect for India's judicial system; there is a judicial process and a verdict involved here," Patra said.
The seat fell vacant after Suvendu Adhikari gave up Nandigram and retained Bhabanipur following the 2026 Assembly elections. The constituency has long carried political significance for both Mamata Banerjee and Adhikari, with the 2007 anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram becoming a defining chapter in Bengal politics.
The BJP has fielded Hasirani Rath, Congress has nominated Milan Pradhan, and the CPI has fielded Shanti Gopal Giri. The bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar, along with the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election in Assam, are scheduled for October 6, with counting on October 9.
As the October 6 contest draws closer, Nandigram has thus moved from a conventional by-election to a wider political battle involving party identity, election symbols, Opposition unity, an unexpected alliance between former rivals, and competing claims over the functioning of electoral and law-enforcement institutions. (ANI)