RG Kar victim's mother to contest Bengal polls as BJP candidate

The BJP on Wednesday declared the mother of the 2024 RG Kar rape and murder case victim as a party candidate for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections. The party has fielded Ratna Debnath from the Panihati Assembly constituency in the North 24 Parganas district, placing a high-profile and emotionally charged case at the centre of its electoral strategy.“This will give me a platform to fight for justice for my daughter. We ran from pillar to post but did not get justice. If I win, it will be the victory of Panihati residents, not mine. My sole aim is to ensure the safety of women in this state,” she said.

भाजपा की केंद्रीय चुनाव समिति ने पश्चिम बंगाल में होने वाले विधानसभा चुनाव 2026 के लिए अपनी तीसरी सूची में निम्नलिखित नामों पर अपनी स्वीकृति प्रदान की। pic.twitter.com/64FzXYXA3N

— BJP (@BJP4India) March 25, 2026

The BJP has also named former commando Dipanjan Chakraborty, who had served in the National Security Guard (NSG), as the party candidate from Hooghly district’s Uttarpara seat.The BJP released its first list of 144 candidates on March 16. Two of them were later changed on March 19, when the party finalised its second list of 111 candidates, fielding several former heavyweight TMC leaders and actors who joined the party before the 2021 polls, and retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Rajesh Kumar. With the third list, the BJP has named 274 candidates. The Bengal assembly has 294 seats.