BJP's Kolkata port candidate Rakesh Singh walks free: Party fields him amidst tight security
The party has announced candidates for 293 of 294 seats. Security arrangements are stringent, with 2,400 paramilitary companies deployed in the state
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday announced Rakesh Singh as its candidate from the Kolkata Port constituency in the West Bengal Assembly elections. With this, the party has released the names of its candidates for 293 of the total 294 assembly seats in the state.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Rakesh Singh was released from Presidency Jail on Tuesday afternoon. He was granted interim bail by the Calcutta High Court so he could contest the Kolkata Port seat. Upon his release, he received a rousing welcome from his supporters, a testament to his local support.
Although the BJP had not formally announced his candidacy at the time of his release, the party had already informed the High Court that Rakesh Singh would be its candidate for the seat. Now, with the official announcement, this has become clear. The deadline for filing nominations has been set for April 9th, and Rakesh Singh is expected to file his papers on that day.
Justice Kausik Chanda clarified in his bail order that if Rakesh Singh does not receive a nomination from the party to contest the elections, the state government may apply to cancel his bail. With this observation, the court sought to ensure that the purpose of bail is limited to participation in the electoral process.
Meanwhile, the state government opposed Rakesh Singh's bail, citing his criminal record. According to the government, Singh is listed on the Election Commission's portal as a "criminal with a criminal record" and a "troublemaker." However, Rakesh Singh argued in the High Court that he had been granted either regular bail or anticipatory bail in all the cases filed against him.
It should be noted that extremely stringent security arrangements have been made for the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal. The state has seen the largest deployment of paramilitary forces to date. Around 2,400 paramilitary companies have been deployed in the state. Their total number is estimated to be around 240,000. Significantly, this deployment is more than double that of the previous election, reflecting the administration's seriousness regarding security this time.
This time, a record number of female security personnel have been deployed. According to reports, approximately 20,000 female paramilitary personnel, or approximately 200 companies, have been deployed for election duty.