The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded the mother of a trainee doctor who was raped and murdered in Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital in August 2024 from the Panihati seat in North 24 Parganas district.
Ratna Debnath’s name figured in the third list of 19 candidates released by the BJP for the two-phase West Bengal assembly polls in April.
With the third list, the BJP has named 274 candidates. The Bengal assembly has 294 seats.
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.
Debnath said she received an offer from the BJP to fight elections a long time back, but hadn’t been able to make up her mind.
“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.
