Police in West Bengal arrested an independent candidate from the Rajinagar constituency on Saturday, dragging him into a five-year-old criminal case related to a violent clash between rival factions during the 2021 assembly election period. The accused, identified as Saiful Islam, is associated with the Aam Janta Unnayan Party (AJUP), a regional outfit that has been fielding candidates in several bypolls across the state.
According to police sources, the arrest was made from Baharampur, where authorities tracked down Islam based on a case registered nearly half a decade ago. The original FIR, dated 2021, arose from a physical confrontation between two groups that turned ugly during campaign rallies in the lead-up to the state assembly elections held that year. No further specifics about the injuries sustained or the parties involved in that earlier clash were immediately available.
This development follows closely on the heels of another candidate's arrest just a day earlier — Nandigram bypoll contender Milan Pradhan from the Indian National Congress was also taken into custody. The back-to-back detentions have intensified scrutiny over the legal standings of candidates who have abandoned party tickets or are running without affiliation in the current round of bypolls.
Legal experts note that while pending criminal cases against candidates are not uncommon in Indian electoral politics, the timing of such arrests close to polling can significantly disrupt campaign activity. Political observers have expressed concern that multiple independent candidates facing legal trouble could further confuse voters in constituencies where the anti-incumbency sentiment has already pushed significant numbers toward non-mainstream options.
