Two young BJP candidates from Ashoknagar, North 24-Parganas, who lost the rural polls, were arrested by police allegedly with 40 live bullets.

Police alleged that the duo were part of an arms racket and had gone to Maslandapur to sell the bullets.

The BJP leadership claimed the duo were being framed.

Basudeb Chakraborty, a panchayat samiti candidate, and Bikram Thakur, a gram panchayat candidate, contested unsuccessfully from Sendanga of Ashoknagar, where they also reside.

Late on Saturday, the duo were nabbed by Maslandapur police in Pratapnagar, Gobardanga, allegedly with 40 live bullets. They were arrested on Sunday.

Police said probe was on to determine if the duo were part of an arms racket. The BJP leadership rubbished the charges, claiming the bullets belonged to Chakraborty, who has government licenses for weapons.

Produced in Barasat court, they were sent to three days in police custody.

A Barasat police officer said: "We intercepted the duo roaming suspiciously on a motorcycle in Pratapnagar last night (Saturday). During frisking, 40 rounds of ammunition were recovered from them. There were no authentic documents in support of possession of bullets. We have arrested them and started a probe on a possible link with the arms racket."

The BJP's Barasat organising district committee president, Tapas Mitra, claimed the duo were "implicated" by the police at the behest of ruling Trinamul as they gave a tough contest in the Sendanga rural polls.

"The ammunition belongs to Basudeb Chakraborty, who runs a security agency and has arms and ammunition license issued by the government. He has an authentic document of owing 51 rounds of ammunition. Police knew it well.... Under the election commission's order, his two licensed guns are still with Ashok Nagar police. Still, Trinamul with the help of a section of the police conspired to malign him to counter his political fight. We gave all supporting documents in court," Mitra said.

Trinamul's Ashok Nagar MLA Narayan Goswami countered: "There is no question of Trinamul conspiracy here. These two arrested BJP activists are known criminals."