Kolkata/New Delhi, March 25 In a move aimed at capitalizing on the emotional and political resonance of the RG Kar protests, the BJP on Wednesday fielded the victim doctor's mother from the Panihati assembly constituency as it released its third list of 19 candidates for the upcoming West Bengal elections.
The candidate, who had emerged as one of the most vocal critics of the investigation into the August 2024 rape and murder of her daughter at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, recently claimed that she and her husband had joined the BJP.
Her candidature from Panihati signals the party's attempt to politically channel the outrage over the case, which had triggered months of protests across the state demanding justice and improved safety for women.
Speaking to a television channel after the announcement, she said contesting the election was not a matter of pride but a painful responsibility.
"I have become a candidate. If I win, the people of Panihati will win. I will raise my voice for those who have forgotten how to protest," she said, adding that she would work to improve the condition of the constituency and serve people.
"If I can serve people, my daughter will also be happy. I want the lotus to bloom across West Bengal and the TMC to be uprooted," she said.
Her entry into electoral politics comes nearly a year-and-a-half after the incident that shook the state and sparked a massive civil society movement that cut across political affiliations.
The protests, led by medical professionals and students, had turned into a wider agitation questioning law and order and governance in the state.
The BJP has repeatedly invoked the incident during its campaign, accusing the ruling TMC government of failing to ensure women's safety and alleging that attempts were made to shield those responsible for lapses in the investigation.
According to the BJP's third list released on Wednesday, Rathindra Nath Bose will contest from Cooch Behar Dakshin, with the party dropping its sitting MLA, and Chitrajit Roy from Islampur and Arup Kumar Das from Singur.
Biplab Mandal has been fielded from Howrah Madhya, Sankar Guchhait from Medinipur, Anil Singh from Naihati, Subir Nag from Chunchura and Dipanjan Chakraborty from Uttarpara.
Madhumita Ghosh will contest from Haripal, while other nominees include Dinesh Sarkar (Raiganj), Haripada Barman (Hemtabad), Amlan Bhaduri (English Bazar), Swapan Das (Shantipur), Dipanjan Kumar Guha (Chandannagar), Harekrishna Bera (Tamluk) and Prankrishna Tapadar (Purbasthali Dakshin).
Krishna Ghosh will contest from Katwa, Krishnakanta Saha from Sainthia and Anil Singh from Nalhati.
In English Bazar, the party replaced its sitting MLA Sreerupa Mitra Chowdhury, popularly known as 'Nirbhaya Didi', and nominated Amlan Bhaduri.
With the latest announcement, the BJP has now declared candidates for 275 of the 294 assembly seats in the state, while names for 19 constituencies are yet to be announced.
The party had released its first list of 144 candidates on March 16, springing a major political surprise by fielding Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur -- the latter currently represented by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
In the second list issued on March 19, the BJP named 112 candidates, including Sandeshkhali protest face Rekha Patra from Hingalganj, actor Roopa Ganguly from Sonarpur Dakshin and former Kolkata police commissioner Rajesh Kumar from Jagatdal.
Political observers say the BJP's candidate selection reflect a mix of organisational loyalists, protest faces and professionals, as the party attempts to stitch together multiple strands of anti-incumbency against the ruling TMC ahead of the high-stakes election.
In Panihati, the BJP nominee will face TMC candidate Tirthankar Ghosh, son of outgoing chief whip of the assembly Nirmal Ghosh, while the CPI(M) has fielded Kallatan Dasgupta.
In Uttarpara, the contest is expected to be equally high profile with the TMC fielding Sirsanya Bandyopadhyay, son of senior MP and lawyer Kalyan Banerjee, while the CPI(M) has nominated Minakshi Mukherjee. The BJP has pitted former National Security Guard commando Dipanjan Chakraborty against them.
The ruling TMC has already declared candidates for all 294 seats, while the CPI(M)-led Left Front has released three lists so far. The Congress is yet to announce its candidates.
Polling in West Bengal will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with votes set to be counted on May 4.