Kolkata: The announcement was made two weeks ago. On Thursday, BJP’s decision was formalised.
Ratna Debnath, mother of the raped and murdered RG Kar Hospital doctor, filed her nomination as the BJP candidate from Panihati constituency for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly election.
Debnath was accompanied by BJP leader and former Union minister Smriti Irani and district party leaders.
“Today, Ratna Debnath, the BJP candidate, is going with me to file her nomination. She has lost her daughter to a heinous crime. It’s a shameful thing that TMC’s goons not only harass her but also humiliate her. If TMC wanted justice, why didn’t they deliver justice to her daughter? Why are TMC people still humiliating this mother today? They will have to answer for this…. This mother is a symbol of how women have been exploited here…. And she has taken a vow to uproot these roots of oppression.”
#WATCH | North 24 Parganas, West Bengal | BJP leader Smriti Irani says, “Today, Ratna Debnath, the BJP candidate, is going with me to file her nomination. She has lost her daughter to a heinous crime. It’s a shameful thing that TMC’s goons not only harass her but also humiliate… pic.twitter.com/zfims0VXHq
— ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2026
Debnath is pitted against Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) Tirthankar Ghosh and CPI(M)’s Kalatan Dasgupta.
#WATCH | North 24 Parganas, West Bengal: Mother of the RG Kar Medical College rape and murder victim and BJP candidate from Panihati seat Ratna Debnath says, “I am contesting the election for the safety of women… TMC candidate is no challenge for me here… People’s response is… pic.twitter.com/ccoYJJ777B
— ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2026
After filing her nomination papers, Debnath said the sole reason to contest the elections was to oust the Trinamool Congress (TMC) regime in West Bengal. According to Debnath, that’s the only way to ensure women’s safety in the state and prevent a recurrence of incidents like the RG Kar case.
On the morning of 9th August, 2024, the body of a semi-naked 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor was found in a seminar hall of R G Kar Medical College & Hospital in north Kolkata.
The incident sparked massive months-long protest not only in West Bengal but across the country, leading to a significant movement and strike by junior doctors in the state.
Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer with Kolkata Police, was arrested a day later, and ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment following a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry.
Despite the case reaching the Supreme Court, the victim’s parents were not satisfied, as they insisted the ‘real’ culprits were shielded.
Debnath agreed to contest the polls from her home constituency after the saffron party approached her to “bring to light the truth behind the crime”.