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Sibal Alleges Election Commission-BJP Nexus Over Bengal Bypolls
Kapil Sibal criticized how election-related events unfolded in West Bengal.
He said the Election Commission and the BJP were acting together.
Sibal was especially upset that Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was arrested soon after receiving support from a Trinamool Congress faction.
He said this harmed democracy and showed weak accountability.
The Election Commission had announced bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar.
It also froze the Trinamool Congress symbol before the arrest.
Police said Pradhan was wanted in four older cases involving rioting, murder, and criminal intimidation.
Another party leader was also arrested for allegedly obstructing the police.
Kapil Sibal accused the Election Commission of coordinating with the BJP over West Bengal bypoll developments.
He called Congress candidate Milan Pradhan’s arrest a “murder of democracy” and an institutional accountability failure.
Sibal said the Election Commission froze the Trinamool Congress symbol on September 17, after announcing the bypolls.
He said Trinamool Congress support for Pradhan was announced shortly before his arrest on September 18.
Police said Pradhan was arrested over alleged involvement in four cases linked to the 2007 anti-land acquisition movement.
- Who
- Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal, Congress candidate Milan Pradhan, the Election Commission of India, the BJP, the Trinamool Congress, and West Bengal police.
- What
- Sibal accused the Election Commission of coordinating with the BJP and criticized Pradhan’s arrest during the West Bengal bypoll process.
- Where
- Nandigram and Rejinagar in West Bengal; Pradhan was arrested at a hotel in Chandipur, Purba Medinipur district.
- When
- The bypolls were announced on September 7; the symbol was frozen on September 17; support for Pradhan and his arrest were reported on September 18.
- Why
- Sibal said the sequence of decisions undermined democracy and institutional accountability, while police said Pradhan’s arrest concerned alleged involvement in four criminal cases.
Sibal’s allegations
Police account
Meaning of the arrest
Sibal’s allegations
Sibal called Milan Pradhan’s arrest a “murder of democracy” and said it demonstrated a lack of institutional accountability.
Police account
Police said Pradhan was arrested over his alleged involvement in four cases registered during the 2007 anti-land acquisition movement.
Election Commission conduct
Sibal’s allegations
Sibal alleged that the Election Commission delayed decisions and acted “hand in glove” with state and central powers.
Police account
The report provides no direct response from the Election Commission to Sibal’s allegations.
Timing of events
Sibal’s allegations
Sibal emphasized that Pradhan was arrested shortly after a Trinamool Congress faction announced support for his candidacy.
Police account
Police described the arrest as based on warrants issued in 2021 and 2023 and linked it to older criminal cases.
Key facts
- Main accuser
- Kapil Sibal, an Independent Rajya Sabha MP
- Election constituencies
- Nandigram and Rejinagar in West Bengal
- Bypoll announcement
- The Election Commission announced the bypolls on September 7
- Symbol decision
- The Trinamool Congress symbol was frozen on September 17, according to Sibal
- Candidate arrested
- Congress’s Milan Pradhan was arrested on Friday evening, according to police
- Criminal cases
- Police linked the arrest to four cases involving alleged rioting, murder, and criminal intimidation
- Additional arrest
- Subhasish Bhattacharya was arrested for allegedly preventing police from apprehending Pradhan
Quotes
Kapil Sibal
Independent Rajya Sabha MP and Congress politician
“This kind of waltz of the ugly, the waltz of the EC and the state … will continue, this murder of democracy will continue, this absolute totalitarianism with accountability will continue, biased decisions by tribunals especially in the context of the Speaker will continue. How long will this continue, how long will democracy tolerate this?”
theprint.in
“This jugalbandi with the Election Commission and the government, these attacks on democracy, these dictatorial decisions, and these one-sided decisions by the Speaker — how long will this continue?”
theprint.in
Sources
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