Ratna Debnath, the mother of the RG Kar rape-murder victim, and Rekha Patra, the face of the Sandeshkhali protests, both projected as symbols of the BJP’s campaign against atrocities on women in West Bengal, registered comfortable victories over their Trinamool Congress rivals.
Debnath, a political newcomer, defeated the Trinamool Congress’ Tirthankar Ghosh by 28,836 votes, securing 87,977 votes in the Panihati Assembly segment.
The TMC candidate is the son of incumbent MLA Nirmal Ghosh, who had been accused of attempting to hastily cremate the body of the young RG Kar medic, who was raped and murdered at the hospital on the night of August 9, 2024.
Debnath made her political debut after being fielded by the BJP in the assembly polls. A resident of the Pansila area of Sodpur, she contested from the Panihati Assembly segment.
At her campaign meetings, Debnath repeatedly raised the issue of women’s safety and security in the state, underscoring her commitment to ensuring that no woman faces atrocities.
She had also pledged that, if elected, she would work towards widening the R G Kar probe and ensuring that those behind any larger conspiracy are brought to book.
BJP celebrates wins of Debnath, Patra in West Bengal Assembly Elections
During the campaign, she courted controversy by accusing CPI(M) and TMC candidates of politicising the protest over the R G Kar incident. However, the BJP backed her, citing the anguish of a grieving mother.
Meanwhile, Patra, a homemaker from Sandeshkhali and an alleged torture victim of arrested TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his associates, had drawn national attention for leading large protests while carrying her young daughter.
Although she lost from Basirhat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP fielded her again from the Hingalganj Assembly seat.
She won the constituency by 5,421 votes, polling 1,00,207 votes against TMC’s Ananda Sarkar, who secured 94,786 votes.
West Bengal BJP President Samik Bhattacharya congratulated both leaders on their victories.
“Ratna Debnath and Rekha Patra are two spearheads of the BJP`s campaign against the atrocities committed by a section of TMC leaders against women as police and administration looked the other way,” he said.
(With PTI inputs)