Kolkata: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made a significant political move by fielding Ratna Debnath, the mother of the RG Kar Medical College doctor who was tragically raped and murdered in August 2024, from the Panihati Assembly constituency. The announcement came as part of the BJP’s third list of 19 candidates for the upcoming West Bengal elections. Ratna Debnath has been a prominent and vocal critic of the state government’s handling of the investigation into her daughter’s death, and her candidacy is widely seen as an effort by the BJP to channel the widespread public outrage over the incident into electoral momentum.
Speaking to a television channel following the announcement, Debnath described her decision to contest the election as a “painful responsibility” rather than a matter of personal pride. She stated that her primary goal is to provide a voice for those who feel silenced and to ensure that the demand for justice and improved safety for women remains at the forefront of the political discourse. “If I win, the people of Panihati will win,” she remarked, adding that her service to the constituency would be a tribute to her daughter’s memory. She expressed a firm desire to see the “lotus bloom” across the state and for the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) to be removed from power.
The BJP’s third list also features several other notable figures, including senior leader and veteran journalist Swapan Das, who will contest from Santipur. Other key candidates named in the release include Shankar Guchhait from Medinipur, Dinesh Sarkar from Rajganj, Chitrajit Roy from Islampur, Dipanjan Chakraborty from Uttarapara, and Madhumita Ghosh from Haripal. By including high-profile activists and seasoned professionals, the party is attempting to build a diverse coalition to challenge the TMC’s long-standing dominance in the state as the campaign for the 2026 Assembly elections intensifies.
