Singh is set to challenge the heavy-weight TMC minister and incumbent MLA Firhad Hakim. Emerging from jail on Tuesday, Singh didn’t hold back, launching a scathing attack on Hakim, comparing him to “Dawood Ibrahim of Mini Pakistan” and vowing a definitive victory.

Rakesh Singh’s path to the candidacy has been marred by multiple legal run-ins. He was arrested last October in connection with a flat-grabbing case in Kasba, where he was accused of assaulting the property owner. His history also includes arrests in a high-profile 2021 drug case and an attack on the Congress headquarters. Despite his turbulent past, the BJP, which had kept the Kolkata Port seat pending while announcing candidates for 293 other seats, has placed its bets on Singh’s aggressive brand of politics.

While the TMC has criticized the move, labeling the BJP as a party that “promotes criminals,” the saffron camp believes Singh’s local influence is the key to breaching Firhad Hakim's stronghold. With internal dissent brewing in several districts over candidate selections, all eyes are now on this high-stakes showdown at the Kolkata docks.