Congress’s Nandigram bypoll candidate Milan Pradhan was on Wednesday released from jail, a day after the Calcutta High Court granted him interim bail in six criminal cases lodged in 2007, a police officer said. Pradhan said he would immediately start campaigning for the October 6 by-election.

“I will begin campaigning from today. There is not much time left. The people of Nandigram want the son of the soil, not someone from outside, to win. I am confident of securing victory,” he told reporters. Campaigning for the bypoll ends on October 4, while counting of votes will take place on October 9.