Panihati Assembly constituency in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, usually not a prominent seat, has drawn attention as the BJP nominated Ratna Debnath, the mother of a junior doctor who was tragically assaulted and killed at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata in August 2024. The Debnath family members are also voters in this constituency.
The CPI-M has put forward Kalatan Dasgupta, a well-known youth leader associated with the R.G. Kar issue. Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress has chosen Tirthankar Ghosh, the son of Nirmal Ghosh, a five-time MLA from the constituency and the current Chief Whip of the Trinamool Congress Legislative Party.
Panihati has traditionally been a stronghold of the Trinamool Congress, but this time, due to controversies linked to the R.G. Kar case, Nirmal Ghosh was not renominated. His actions in handling the victim’s body post-mortem led to criticism and accusations from opposition parties and society, resulting in his son being nominated instead.
The BJP candidate is expected to benefit from a sympathy wave following the heinous incident involving the junior doctor. On the other hand, the CPI-M candidate, Kalatan Dasgupta, may gain support due to his involvement in the movement against the West Bengal government on the R.G. Kar issue.
