GUWAHATI: Ratna Debnath, mother of the RG Kar victim and Bharatiya Janata Party candidate, has won the Panihati Assembly constituency in West Bengal, securing a decisive victory in the final counting.
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Debnath polled 87,977 votes, defeating Tirthankar Ghosh of the All India Trinamool Congress, who secured 59,141 votes. She won by a margin of 28,836 votes. CPI(M) candidate Kalatan Dasgupta finished third with 24,032 votes, while Congress nominee Subhashish Bhattacharya received 1175 votes.
Her campaign was shaped by the death of her daughter, whose case at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata became a major flashpoint in West Bengal politics. The incident had sparked widespread protests over women’s safety and institutional accountability and remained central to her election pitch.
The protests initially drew significant public participation but later declined amid reports of administrative pressure and punitive actions against some participants, including transfers. Several of these actions were challenged in court.
In Bhabanipur, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari is leading with 60,954 votes as of round 17 out of 20, while All India Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee is trailing with 54,728 votes. The margin stands at 6,226 votes.