KOLKATA — High-stakes legal maneuvering has taken center stage in West Bengal’s political arena ahead of the critical Nandigram assembly bypoll. The state unit of the Congress party has formally petitioned the Calcutta High Court, mounting a dual challenge over alleged mathematical contradictions in the election affidavit of BJP candidate Hasirani Rath while pressing for the release of its own incarcerated nominee, Milan Pradhan.
The judicial push arrives as the election schedule moves into its final stretch, with polling set for October 6, the close of public campaigning on October 4, and final vote counting slated for October 9.
Dissecting the Affidavit Discrepancy
The core of the Congress party’s writ petition targets the nomination papers filed by Hasirani Rath. In her official submission to the Election Commission of India (ECI), Rath indicated her age as “60+ years”—omitting a specific birth date—while recording that she passed her Class 10 board exams from Chowkhali Ganga Padma Milan Kanya Vidyapith (HS) in 1965.
An analysis of the timeline highlights significant numerical mismatches:
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Age Listed as ~60: A candidate turning 60 in 2026 would have been born around 1966, placing her birth a year after completing Class 10 in 1965.
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Age Listed as ~65: A birth year around 1961 would imply passing the Class 10 matriculation exam at approximately four years old.
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Standard Academic Age: Completing secondary school at the usual age of 14 to 16 in 1965 points to a birth year between 1949 and 1951, putting her current age closer to 75–77 years.
The writ petition urges judicial scrutiny into the ECI’s oversight process and requests that Rath’s candidacy be disqualified if the contradictions are not formally clarified.
Legal Hurdles Facing Congress Nominee
Alongside its petition against the BJP candidate, the Congress leadership is fighting on a second legal front to secure bail for its candidate, Milan Pradhan, who remains in judicial custody.
Pradhan faces detentions arising from past legal proceedings:
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2007 Anti-Land Acquisition Agitation: Remanded to judicial custody through October 3 under four long-standing non-bailable warrants linked to historical local protests in Nandigram.
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Arms Act Charges: Held under a separate judicial remand through October 5 tied to a two-decade-old case.
Acting on directives from West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) President Subhankar Sarkar, the party authorized Mita Chakraborty, chairperson of the state media department, to spearhead legal filings alongside Advocate-on-Record Ajitesh Pandey. With election day fast approaching, the court’s upcoming determinations could directly influence the contest in Nandigram.
