The political temperature in the Kolkata Port constituency has reached a boiling point as BJP officially nominated Rakesh Singh to take on TMC heavyweight and state minister Firhad Hakim. The announcement came as part of the saffron party’s sixth list of candidates for the upcoming assembly elections.

Rakesh Singh, a controversial figure who had been incarcerated for a long period on charges including attempted murder, recently secured conditional interim bail from the Calcutta High Court specifically to contest the polls. On April 6, Justice Kausik Chanda granted bail on a personal bond of ₹1 lakh, but with significant restrictions.

According to the High Court’s order, Singh is restricted to his constituency limits. He is permitted to leave the Kolkata Port area only for filing his nomination and on the day of counting, May 4. The court also noted that if Singh failed to secure a party ticket, the police could move to cancel his bail. With the next hearing scheduled for May 6, all eyes are now on this fierce electoral duel between the veteran Firhad Hakim and the legally cornered Rakesh Singh.