How is RG Kar victim's mother performing in Bengal's Panihati
What's the story
Ratna Debnath, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate and the mother of the rape and murder victim from Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, is leading in the Panihati Assembly constituency of West Bengal. According to data from the Election Commission, Debnath was leading by over 2,700 votes. Tirthankar Ghosh of the TMC is behind Debnath with 4,129 votes.
Campaign focus
Debnath took on TMC over women's safety
Debnath's candidacy was a direct attack on the Mamata Banerjee government, especially over women's safety. Her daughter was allegedly raped and murdered at RG Kar in August 2024, which had sparked widespread protests. These protests eventually died down amid allegations of pressure tactics, including transfers and punitive actions against participants. Some of these actions were challenged before the Calcutta High Court.
Campaign strategy
Debnath campaigned with PM Modi
Debnath had publicly blamed Banerjee for her daughter's death, saying, "My main enemy is Mamata Banerjee because she's the health minister, and my daughter worked for the health department." She had vowed to not comb her hair until justice was served. Debnath campaigned with and even shared the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who blamed the Trinamool Congress (TMC) for the RG Kar incident.
Election details
Election held under tight security across 23 districts
The high-stakes assembly elections were held under tight security across 293 of 294 assembly segments in 23 districts. The fate of 2,926 candidates will be decided through multi-layered security arrangements. The elections were marred by controversies such as the SIR exercise, which removed around 91 lakh names from electoral rolls, shrinking them to about 6.82 crore.