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Court Remands Milan Pradhan for 14 Days Ahead By-Poll

By Drooid · Sep 21, 2026, 4:21 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Milan Pradhan Arrested

Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was arrested in Purba Medinipur on September 18, 2026.
Police said the arrest stemmed from four pending non-bailable warrants linked to 2007 anti-land-acquisition cases, including murder.
A court remanded Pradhan to 14-day custody until October 3, restricting his campaign before the October 6 by-poll.
Congress spokesperson Ajitesh Pandey alleged the timing was a deliberate attempt to entangle Pradhan before voting.

Summary

Election Commission Freezes

The Election Commission froze the All India Trinamool Congress name and its ‘Flowers and Grass’ symbol on September 18.
It gave Mamata Banerjee’s faction the temporary name ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ and a football-player symbol.
Arup Roy’s rival faction received the name ‘Democratic Trinamool Congress’ and the envelope symbol for the bypolls.
Both factions must campaign under unfamiliar logos, risking voter confusion in the October 6 bypolls.

History

Historical Context

In 1969 the Indian National Congress split into Indira Gandhi’s Congress (R) and Congress (O), prompting the Election Commission to give the breakaway a cow-and-calf emblem; Congress (O) won about 10 % of the vote in the 1971 election. The Supreme Court upheld the decision, and in September 2026 the Election Commission froze All India Trinamool Congress name, assigning symbols to Mamata Banerjee’s and Arup Roy’s factions.

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Milan Pradhan Arrested

Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was arrested in Purba Medinipur on September 18, 2026.
Police said the arrest stemmed from four pending non-bailable warrants linked to 2007 anti-land-acquisition cases, including murder.
A court remanded Pradhan to 14-day custody until October 3, restricting his campaign before the October 6 by-poll.
Congress spokesperson Ajitesh Pandey alleged the timing was a deliberate attempt to entangle Pradhan before voting.

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