Kharge condemns Milan Pradhan’s arrest, alleges ‘vote chori’ by BJP

New Delhi, Sept 19 : Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday strongly criticised the arrest of Congress candidate Milan Pradhan in connection with the Nandigram Assembly by-election, alleging that the action amounted to an attempt at “vote chori” and “chunav chori”.

In a post on social media platform X, Kharge alleged that the BJP was misusing agencies to target an Opposition candidate ahead of the by-election.

“The arrest of Congress candidate Milan Pradhan in Nandigram is a brazen attempt at VOTE CHORI and CHUNAV CHORI,” Kharge said.

He alleged that the BJP was “so insecure” that it was resorting to such measures even during a by-election and accused the ruling party of targeting an Opposition candidate through the misuse of agencies.

Kharge also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s description of India as the “Mother of Democracy”, alleging that the BJP’s actions in West Bengal amounted to the “murder of democracy”.

“Congress will neither be intimidated nor silenced. A united INDIA will fight back,” Kharge said, reaffirming the party’s resolve to oppose what he described as political intimidation.

The arrest has intensified the political confrontation ahead of the Nandigram Assembly by-election. Congress leaders have alleged political vendetta and questioned the timing of the police action.

Congress General Secretary in-charge Organisation K C Venugopal had also accused the BJP of attempting to “hijack democracy” and alleged that the case was being used to target the Congress candidate.

The Congress has linked the episode to broader concerns over electoral fairness, Opposition participation and the alleged misuse of state institutions.

However, the circumstances surrounding Pradhan’s arrest, the allegations in the case and subsequent legal proceedings are subject to verification through official records and the judicial process.