Ratna Debnath, mother of rape victim RJ Kar, leads the Panihati Assembly constituency in Bengal by a margin of 8,067, according to the latest data released by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Debnath is contesting the election on a BJP ticket and is currently locked in a direct contest with Tirthankar Ghosh of the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Track the latest updates on Bangladesh election results
Debnath’s daughter was a duty doctor at the state-run RG Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata when she was brutally raped and murdered in August 2024. The incident sparked massive protests and sparked a political conflict with the Bharatiya Janata Party, which accused the TMC of failing women’s safety and law and order in Bengal.
Read also: Who won the West Bengal elections: full list BJP and TMC lead and fall behind in a high-stakes battle
Ratna Debnath’s election campaign and entry into public life
A public figure shaped by a deeply tragic personal loss, Debnath moved from a life of privacy to the political frontline after the rape and murder of her daughter. Her entry into politics represents a major shift in the state’s electoral discourse, with a focus on institutional accountability and women’s safety.
Debnath’s 2026 campaign has become a focal point of national attention. Since being nominated by the BJP, she has evolved from a grieving mother to a staunch advocate for systemic reform.
Read also: ‘The numbers are fake, wait for the sun to set’: 5 shocking claims from Mamata as BJP advances in Bengal
While campaigning for Panihati, she portrayed the election not as a traditional political contest, but as a “crusade for justice”, urging voters to reject the culture of “tampering with evidence” and administrative negligence that she claims characterized her daughter’s case.
Chaos, violence and harsh criticism
Meanwhile, high drama continued to be the political highlight in Bengal on Monday amid the ongoing counting process as the BJP caused an upset to the incumbent TMC on key seats.
Reports of violence emerged from parts of the state. Near the counting center at Asansol Engineering College, a fight broke out during which chairs and vehicles were vandalized.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also issued a distress message accusing the BJP and the Election Commission of not disclosing the TMC-led trends. The BJP-led NDA crossed the majority mark of 148 seats in the states. As of 1pm, it has 183 seats, while TMC is second with 89 seats.
Banerjee called on party workers to remain at the centres, claiming that the vote counting process had stopped.
“As I said yesterday, they will show BJP in the lead after 2-3 rounds… The count has stopped at around 100 places,” she said in her message on Channel X.
“There are about 100 seats in which TNMC is leading, but they have not been disclosed,” she added.
