The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated Ratna Debnath, the mother of a junior doctor who was murdered at Kolkata’s R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, as its candidate for the Panihati assembly seat in the upcoming West Bengal elections. The case, which sparked nationwide protests, returned to public attention after a court in January 2025 sentenced one accused to life imprisonment. BJP included Debnath in its third list of 19 candidates released for the polls.
Party sources and local reports say Debnath, who recently joined the BJP with her husband, will contest the Panihati constituency. After her nomination was announced she said, “If I win, the people of Panihati will win. I will raise my voice for them — those who have forgotten how to protest.” She described running for office as a painful duty rather than a matter of pride and pledged to work for the constituency’s welfare.
Debnath linked her campaign to her daughter’s case and offered a personal motivation for entering politics: “If I can serve people, my daughter will be happy. I want the whole of West Bengal to bloom with lotuses and to unseat the Trinamool.” Her candidacy has drawn visible public attention on the campaign trail; journalist Smita Deshmukh tweeted on April 1, 2026, that turning personal grief into a public battle takes “immense courage,” and noted women were coming out to support Debnath.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) responded by questioning Debnath’s decision to join the BJP. TMC leaders said the party that failed to give her time to present her complaints must explain why she chose the BJP. They noted Debnath’s own allegations — that the CBI did not properly investigate her daughter’s case and that she was unable to secure meetings in New Delhi with the home minister, the prime minister or the president — and said she should answer these questions to the public.
Debnath’s entry into the race brings a high-profile criminal case back into the political spotlight as West Bengal voters head to the polls, potentially intensifying debate over accountability, law and order, and how parties respond to victims seeking justice.
Original Source: https://prathamkhabartv.com/rg-kar-victims-mother-named-in-bjps-3rd-list-to-contest-bengal-polls/
Category: national,ভাৰত,Kolkata
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Publish Date: 2026-04-02 15:59:00
