Opposition accuses BJP and Election Commission of collusion after candidate arrest and symbol freeze

A multi-front political battle has broken out between India's opposition and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, triggered by a sweep of hostile moves including the freezing of the Trinamool Congress name, the arrest of a key by-election candidate, and police restrictions on a student rally.

The dispute escalated after the Election Commission barred both factions of the Trinamool Congress from using the party's original name and symbol in the upcoming state assembly by-elections, assigning them new ones instead.

The decision provoked a furious reaction from the Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, who accused the Election Commission of working hand-in-glove with the BJP to systematically dismantle opposition parties. Writing on social media, Gandhi pointed to previous splits in the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party as evidence of a pattern where the BJP and the commission join forces to hijack political groups. "Vote theft, government theft, and now party theft," he said.

What happened to the Congress candidate in Nandigram?

The tension intensified in West Bengal, where the by-election for the Nandigram seat is scheduled for 6 October. Hours after Mamata Banerjee announced her faction's support for the Congress candidate, Milan Pradhan, police arrested him.

Banerjee and Gandhi both condemned the arrest as political revenge designed to give the BJP a walkover. Banerjee questioned the timing of the arrest, pointing out that old cases were suddenly being dusted off the moment she backed the Congress nominee. She accused the "Election Agency-BJP partnership" of killing democracy.

The Bengal BJP rejected the charges, arguing that Pradhan was not a political victim but a man with four outstanding warrants dating back to 2007. The party released details of the charges, which include murder and arms offences, and stated that the arrest followed a formal complaint lodged by a rival candidate, MD Ehteshamul Haque Siddiqui.

Why is there tension over Rahul Gandhi's Indore event?

Meanwhile, a third flashpoint has emerged in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, where Gandhi is scheduled to host a student outreach event called "Chhatron Ki Goonj" on Saturday. Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera accused the state police of "shameless" intimidation. He claimed officers were forcing coaching centre owners to sign declarations taking personal responsibility for the safety of students attending the event.

According to the Congress, Indore police issued a security directive holding the organisers jointly responsible for crowd control, explicitly citing the Verma Commission report into the 1991 assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Khera called the reference a crude attempt to intimidate Gandhi by invoking his father's tragic death.

How has the BJP responded?

The BJP has hit back on both fronts. In New Delhi, party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi dismissed Gandhi’s claims about the Election Commission, calling the Congress the "Bhasmasur" of Indian politics—a reference to a mythological demon that destroys its allies. Trivedi listed several historical instances, from the 1970s to the 1990s, where Congress-led governments dismissed state administrations, divided regional parties, and sidelined its own veterans.

In Indore, posters reading "Jhooth Ki Goonj" (Echo of Lies) appeared across the city ahead of Gandhi's arrival. While local Congress workers spent the day tearing them down and blaming the BJP, the ruling party's state co-media chief, Alok Dubey, claimed the posters were put up by local students angry at being pressured to attend the opposition rally.