The West Bengal Congress on Wednesday said it has moved the Calcutta High Court seeking bail for its Nandigram bypoll candidate Milan Pradhan, and also filed a writ petition challenging alleged discrepancies in the affidavit submitted by BJP nominee Hasirani Rath.
In a statement, the Congress said, “Acting on the instructions of West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president Subhankar Sarkar, the party today moved the Calcutta High Court with a bail petition on behalf of Nandigram Congress candidate Milan Pradhan and a writ petition concerning the affidavit submitted by BJP candidate Hasirani Rath and the Election Commission of India’s response to the alleged discrepancies. On Friday, the Congress said that the party would raise the alleged discrepancy in Rath’s poll affidavit with the Election Commission and urge it to investigate the matter. Chakraborty is the chairperson of the WBPCC Media and Publicity Department and president of the South Kolkata District Congress Committee.
Pradhan was arrested last week in connection with cases filed against him during the 2007 anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram. He was sent to judicial custody by a court till October 3 in four pending non-bailable arrest warrants in the 2007 case. Another court remanded him to judicial custody till October 5, in a two-decades-old Arms Act case.
The party said the writ petition seeks judicial scrutiny of the alleged discrepancies and the Election Commission’s “action or inaction” in the matter. For the writ proceedings, Sarkar authorised Mita Chakraborty to act as the state Congress’ attorney and representative, including executing the vakalatnama and engaging advocates, the statement said. It had said the EC should cancel the nomination if the candidate failed to explain the discrepancy.
