The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has released its sixth and final list for the West Bengal assembly polls, naming Rakesh Singh as its candidate for the Kolkata Port seat.
Singh was released on bail just a day prior to the announcement, after a Calcutta high court granted him bail till May 5.
Kolkata Port is set for a high-stakes battle between Rakesh Singh and Kolkata mayor and state cabinet minister Firhad Hakim, who has held the seat since 2011.
The constituency, which heads to the polls in the final phase on April 29, remains a Trinamool Congress (TMC) stronghold.
Singh, who was previously in the West Bengal Congress before he was expelled in 2018, was arrested by Kolkata Police last year in connection with an assault case.
BJP state unit president Samik Bhattacharya defended the party's choice, saying Singh was arrested because he tried to stop some people from taking over his family temple.
