RG Kar Victim’s Mother Joins BJP to Contest Panihati Against TMC’s Tirthankar Ghosh

Overview

• Ratna Debnath, mother of the junior doctor killed at Kolkata’s RG Kar hospital, has joined the BJP to run in Panihati and says she entered politics to seek justice for her daughter.
• The constituency now has a three-way contest, with the TMC naming Tirthankar Ghosh, son of outgoing MLA Nirmal Ghosh, and the CPI(M) putting up protest figure Kalatan Dasgupta.
• Panihati votes on April 29, 2026, with counting on May 4, according to the Election Commission of India.
• On August 9, 2024, a 31-year-old doctor was raped and murdered inside RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, police arrested Sanjoy Roy, and the CBI took over after charges of police lapses and possible destruction of evidence.
• Once a Left stronghold and now a TMC bastion under Nirmal Ghosh, Panihati saw the TMC lead the segment in the 2024 national vote, so this result will show if outrage over the RG Kar case can shift a loyal electorate.