Kolkata: Congress candidate Milan Pradhan has been arrested by the West Bengal Police in an old case, hours after former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced her support for him in the Nandigram Assembly by-election.

Pradhan's arrest has added a fresh twist to the Nandigram bypoll, where Banerjee's faction decided to back the Congress candidate after its own nominee, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, withdrew from the contest.

Congress spokesperson Mita Chakraborty questioned the timing of the arrest, saying Pradhan was taken into custody only a few hours after Banerjee extended her support.

"If you resort to intimidation—refusing to give space to the opposition—do you want autocracy or democracy in this country?" Chakraborty said.

She also said that attempts to stop the Congress or the opposition through threats would not work.

Congress to address arrest at 7:30 pm

The Congress is scheduled to hold a press conference at 7:30 pm on Friday, where the party is expected to respond to Pradhan's arrest and the latest developments in the Nandigram bypoll.

The arrest comes on a day of major political developments in West Bengal, with Banerjee's faction backing the Congress after its candidate withdrew from the October 6 contest.

More details are awaited.