Kolkata: The BJP candidate from Panihati assembly constituency, mother of the RG Kar rape-and-murder victim, emerged a clear winner on Monday, polling 87,977 votes. She led from the very first round of counting and her margin grew as counting progressed, signalling a change of guard at Panihati, a Trinamool bastion for years.
In a post on social media after the victory, she said: "This victory is the victory of the people of Panihati. This victory will also advance the fight for justice for my daughter. I am certain that justice will be achieved one day." She had made an appeal through her social media post late on Sunday, requesting voters "not to misunderstand" her.
The Panihati victory, by a margin of 28,836 votes, seemed to show the way. A significant section of Kolkata's northern fringes broke away from its allegiance to Trinamool and sided with ‘paribartan', with BJP bagging Khardah, Dum Dum North, Dum Dum, and Baranagar — seats in the area where Trinamool held fort for 15 years. Trinamool's Madan Mitra won from Kamarhati with a 5,646-vote margin.
From the first round of counting, the Panihati candidate for BJP was leading with 6,892 votes, followed by Trinamool's Tirthankar Ghosh with 4,129 votes and Kalatan Dasgupta with 1,359. Her lead continued to increase till the final round. However, celebrations in the BJP camp began after the third round of counting, when she was leading by 13,784 votes.
On Monday, the roads leading to Gurunanak Institute of Dental Science & Research campus were closed well before counting began. The BJP camp was set up on the opposite side of BT Road while the Trinamool camp was set up 200 m from the main entry point of the lane leading to the counting centre, on the same flank of BT Road.
The mood at the Trinamool camp began to change after 10 am, as party workers silently tracked results. BJP workers started celebrating, applying saffron abir on each other, distributing sweets and raising slogans.
At the Trinamool camp, Sougata Roy, the Trinamool MP from Dum Dum LS constituency, came to boost party workers' morale. A woman party worker said, "This result is unexpected. While it is true that the RG Kar issue was a major one, at the same time, many people who participated in the Reclaim the Night call were quite unhappy when her mother joined BJP."
On April 29, the BJP candidate faced resistance in various Trinamool-dominated areas, where she heard "Go Back" slogans. A BJP worker said, "She gave a proper answer to those who misbehaved with her. She lost her daughter, a promising doctor, at her workplace, which is the ultimate fact. And the voters of Panihati gave a proper answer to Trinamool Congress."
There was silence at the Trinamool candidate's home on Iswar Chatterjee Road. Ghosh stayed inside, keeping track of the results on TV.