BJP fields RG Kar victim’s mother from Panihati, names 19 more candidates
The Statesman | 26 March 2026
Putting an end to days of speculation, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday evening announced the name of Ratna Debnath, mother of the RG Kar Hospital victim, as its candidate from the Panihati Assembly constituency.
Her candidature is being seen as a significant political move, with the party seeking to channel public sentiment surrounding the incident into electoral support. The BJP released its third list of candidates comprising 19 names for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections. The Panihati nomination has drawn particular attention, with political observers describing it as a “strategic gamble” aimed at consolidating voter emotions over the RG Kar case. Party insiders indicated that Debnath had earlier expressed her willingness to contest on a BJP ticket. She, along with her husband, had recently joined the party, further fuelling speculation about her candidature.
However, the leadership had remained non-committal until the official announcement. Senior leaders, including Leader of Opposition in Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, had maintained that the final decision on candidates was being taken by the central leadership in New Delhi.
Apart from Panihati, the BJP announced candidates for several constituencies across north Bengal and southern districts. In Cooch Behar South, Rathindranath Bose has been fielded, while Dinesh Sarkar will contest from Raiganj. Chiranjit Roy has been nominated from Islampur, Haripada Barman from Hemtabad, and Amlan Bhaduri from English Bazar. In Nadia district, Swapan Das has been named as the candidate from Santipur. In Howrah Central, the party has nominated Biplab Mondal, while Dipanjan Chakraborty will contest from Uttarpara. Arup Kumar Das has been fielded from Singur, Dipanjan Kumar Guha from Chandannagar, Subir Nag from Chinsurah, and Madhumita Ghosh from Haripal.
Further, Harekrishna Bera has been nominated from Tamluk, Shankar Guchhait from Medinipur, and Pranakrishna Tapadar from Purbasthali South. Krishna Ghosh will contest from Katwa, Krishnakanta Saha from Sainthia, and Anil Singh from Nalhati. With this list, the BJP has announced candidates for most constituencies, though 19 seats are yet to be declared.