Ranchi: An election candidate was arrested on Saturday after he filed his nomination for the Ranchi Lok Sabha constituency at the collectorate here, police said.

Devendra Nath Mahato of the Jharkhand Bhasa Khatiyani Sangharsh Samiti (JBKSS) was arrested in a case lodged in 2021 during an agitation against the government, they said.

"Mahato was arrested as he was wanted in a case related to an agitation that happened in 2021. A warrant was issued against him by the court," Adhikant Mahato, the in-charge of the Lalpur police station, told PTI.

Mahato alleged that the Congress, JMM and BJP "misused" their powers to put him behind bars.

"These parties are scared of the support I am getting from the people of Ranchi. But, they will not succeed in their mission. I will win the Ranchi Lok Sabha seat," he told reporters.

On May 1, JBKSS's Giridih candidate Jairam Mahato was arrested in a similar way soon after he filed his nomination at the district collectorate in Bokaro.

Following the arrest, he had urged police to provide him two hours to address a scheduled rally. But, after addressing the rally, he dodged the police and escaped.