West Bengal: Ratna Debnath, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate and mother of the RG Kar rape and murder victim, is leading from Panihati in West Bengal. Debnath's decision to contest for the polls was driven by concerns over women's safety and alleged systemic failures, with the RG Kar case having triggered nationwide outrage and protests.
The Panihati seat, located in the North 24 Parganas district, has been held by TMC MLA Nirmal Ghosh since 2011. From Panihati, she is contesting against TMC's Tirthankar Ghosh, CPI(M)'s Kalatan Dasgupta, and Independent candidate Sadhana Chakraborty.
According to official Election Commission numbers, the main contest is between BJP, TMC, and CPI(M). After the first round of counting, Debnath is leading with 6,892 votes, while TMC's Tirthankar Ghosh has secured 4,129 votes, and CPI(M) candidate Kalatan Dasgupta has secured 1,359 votes.
During an election campaign in Panihati on April 8, Debnath had targeted Mamata Banerjee, asking why the CM failed to save her daughter. While speaking to news agency ANI, she added, "My main enemy is Mamata Banerjee because she's the Health Minister, and my daughter worked for the Health Department. Why didn't Mamata Banerjee save my daughter? I never combed my hair; I'll take an oath until my daughter gets justice - I won't comb my hair. I'll file the nomination tomorrow. People are supporting me and want to see Mamata Banerjee defeated."
Recap Of Panihati Assembly Elections 2021
In 2021, TMC's Nirmal Ghosh had secured 49.61 per cent votes with 86,495 votes, BJP candidate Sanmoy Banerjee 61,318 votes while Congress candidate Tapas Majumdar secured 21,169 votes.
