RG Kar Victim's Mother To Contest Bengal Polls, Named In BJP's 3rd List

The mother of the victim doctor, whose rape and murder at Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital had triggered nationwide protests, has been fielded by the BJP as a candidate in the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal. She has been nominated from the Panihati assembly constituency by the BJP, which released its third list of 19 candidates for the elections today.

The candidate had recently claimed that she and her husband had joined the BJP.

"If I win, the people of Panihati will win. I will raise my voice for those who have forgotten how to protest," she told a television channel after the BJP declared her a candidate.

Contesting elections, she said, was a painful responsibility for her instead of a matter of pride and that she would strive to serve people in the Panihati constituency. "My daughter will be happy if I can serve people. I want the lotus to bloom across West Bengal and the Trinamool to be uprooted," she added.

Read: RG Kar Victim's Father Calls Aparajita Bill 'Deceptive,' Accuses Police Of Evidence Tampering

Reacting to her candidature, the Trinamool said she must answer the people why she chose the BJP after its leaders did not give her time to listen to her grievances.

"Abhaya's mother has the democratic right, but she must answer the people why she chose the BJP after alleging that the CBI didn't probe her daughter's case properly and she did not get an appointment to meet the home minister, the prime minister, and the president in New Delhi. What's behind this?" asked Kunal Ghosh, a senior Trinamool leader.

The candidate had been among the most vocal critics of the investigation into the rape and murder of her daughter at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in August 2024.

The BJP's move to field her in elections indicates an attempt to channel the public anger that had erupted in the aftermath of the 2024 rape and murder case, into politically cornering the incumbent Trinamool.

Read: Court Orders Rs 17 Lakh Assistance To RG Kar Victim's Parents, They Say 'No'

The protests marked a watershed moment in West Bengal's history of civil society movements, as people cutting across political affiliations hit the streets, demanding justice and improved safety conditions for women.

The protesters also raised the law-and-order situation in the state, with the BJP repeatedly invoking the incident during its election campaign to target the Mamata Banerjee-led government for failing to ensure women's safety in the state.

Including the 19 names announced today, the BJP has declared candidates for 275 seats in the state, while the candidates for 19 other constituencies remain to be announced. The Trinamool has declared candidates in all 294 seats, while the Left Front has released three lists so far.

West Bengal will vote in two phases on April 23 and April 29 and the votes will be counted on May 4.