Kapil Sibal alleges EC-BJP jugalbandi over Bengal bypolls

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Saturday accused the Election Commission of being in a "jugalbandi" with the BJP and called the developments linked to the West Bengal bypolls a "murder of democracy" and "absolute totalitarianism without accountability". Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, the Independent MP said the arrest of Congress' Nandigram candidate Milan Pradhan showed a lack of institutional accountability.

Sibal alleged that the sequence of developments around the Nandigram and Rejinagar by-elections reflected collusion between the Election Commission and those in power. He also criticised what he called one-sided decisions by the Speaker and said institutions in the country were being hollowed out.

"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?" Sibal said.

"The entire country is watching this spectacle, and what happened in West Bengal makes it seem that democracy has become hollow, and our institutions have also become hollow," he added.

He said the Election Commission announced on September 7 that by-elections would be held in Nandigram and Rejinagar in West Bengal along with other constituencies.

On September 13, TMC's Sanchita Pradhan Dey filed her nomination from Nandigram, while Rabiul Alam Chowdhury filed his nomination from Rejinagar, he said. According to Sibal, Milan Pradhan was the Congress candidate in Nandigram and Hasirani Rath was the BJP candidate. "On the evening of September 17, the ECI froze the TMC symbol.

This is also an extraordinary thing to look at -- the election had already been announced, and in the meantime, the symbol was also frozen," he said.

Sibal said Sanchita Pradhan then met Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and withdrew her nomination. After that, Mamata Banerjee's faction announced support for Congress candidate Milan Pradhan on September 18 at about 4.30 pm, he said.

Between 5.30 pm and 6.30 pm the same evening, Pradhan was arrested in connection with an alleged 2007 incident on the basis of warrants issued in 2021 and 2023, Sibal said. He described the arrest as a "daylight murder of democracy" and said it showed an absence of institutional accountability.

Criticising the Election Commission and state authorities, he called the developments an "ugly nexus". "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?" Sibal said.

Tracing the internal dispute in the TMC, Sibal said that on May 6, 2026, 70 MLAs unanimously elected Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of the Opposition and Firhad Hakim as Chief Whip.

On June 3, 58 MLAs claimed a split and sought recognition for Ritabrata Banerjee as Leader of the Opposition and Akhruzzaman as Chief Whip, he said. While Mamata Banerjee's faction submitted its reply on July 2, the Election Commission repeatedly gave extensions to the rival faction, Sibal said.

He alleged that the poll body deliberately delayed its decision through July and August until the by-elections were announced, knowing that court intervention is restricted once the election process begins.

He also accused the Election Commission of working "hand in glove" with state and central powers and appealed to it to uphold its constitutional oath and maintain public trust.

Police, however, said Congress' Nandigram by-election candidate Milan Pradhan was arrested for his alleged involvement in at least four cases related to rioting, murder and criminal intimidation filed during the 2007 anti-land acquisition movement.

He was arrested from a hotel in Chandipur in West Bengal's Purba Medinipur district along with another party leader, Subhasish Bhattacharya, on Friday evening.

Bhattacharya was arrested for allegedly preventing the police from apprehending Pradhan. The cases include three registered at Nandigram police station and one at Khejuri police station under sections of the IPC and the Arms Act, police said.

The row over the West Bengal bypolls has thus brought together Sibal's allegations of institutional bias, the chronology of decisions around the nominations and symbol freeze, and the police case against Milan Pradhan, which authorities said is linked to four cases from the 2007 movement.