Nearly two years after the rape and murder of a junior doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital triggered a wave of protest in West Bengal and across the country, the BJP on Wednesday included the victim’s mother in its third list of 18 candidates for the West Bengal Assembly polls.
“I am here to fight for justice for my daughter. I am the candidate to fight for the safety and security of women in this state. Women’s safety is my only concern,” the RG Kar victim’s mother said soon after the candidature was announced.
“I will raise my voice for those who have forgotten how to protest… If I can serve people, my daughter will also be happy. I want the lotus (BJP’s poll symbol) to bloom across West Bengal and the TMC to be uprooted,” she added.
The BJP has repeatedly invoked the incident during its campaign, accusing the ruling TMC government of failing to ensure women’s safety and alleging that attempts were made to shield those responsible for lapses in the investigation.
The CBI had investigated the case on the orders of the High Court. A civic volunteer, Sanjay Roy, was convicted of raping and killing the young junior doctor, and sentenced to life imprisonment.
At present, the CBI has moved the Calcutta High Court seeking death penalty for
Earlier, the parents of the junior doctor had said that they had joined the BJP.
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The BJP has also fielded former NSG commando Deepanjan Chakraborty, who had joined the party last month. He will be contesting from Uttarpara constituency, where TMC has fielded Sirsanya Bandyopadhyay, son of senior MP and lawyer Kalyan Banerjee, while the CPI(M) has nominated Minakshi Mukherjee.
According to the BJP’s third list released on Wednesday, Rathindra Nath Bose will contest from Cooch Behar Dakshin, with the party dropping its sitting MLA, and Chitrajit Roy from Islampur and Arup Kumar Das from Singur.
Biplab Mandal has been fielded from Howrah Madhya, Sankar Guchhait from Medinipur, Anil Singh from Nalhati, Subir Nag from Chunchura, and Dipanjan Chakraborty from Uttarpara.
Madhumita Ghosh will contest from Haripal, while other nominees include Dinesh Sarkar (Rajganj), Haripada Barman (Hemtabad), Amlan Bhaduri (English Bazar), Swapan Das (Santipur), Dipanjan Kumar Guha (Chandannagar), Harekrishna Bera (Tamluk) and Prankrishna Tapadar (Purbasthali Dakshin).
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Krishna Ghosh will contest from Katwa, Krishnakanta Saha from Sainthia.
In English Bazar, the party replaced its sitting MLA Rupa Mitra Chowdhury, popularly known as ‘Nirbhaya Didi’, and nominated Amlan Bhaduri.
The BJP has dropped another MLA — Nikhil Ranjan Dey, who had won from Cooch Behar South in 2011 Assembly polls.
With this, the BJP has now declared candidates for 275 of the 294 Assembly seats in the state, with names for 19 constituencies yet to be announced.
Tanusree Bose is a dedicated journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Kolkata. Her work focuses sharply on the complex administrative, political, and judicial developments across West Bengal, establishing her as an authoritative voice in regional news coverage.
Experience
Current Role: Reports for the prestigious national daily, The Indian Express, providing her content with a high level of Trustworthiness.
Geographical Expertise: Provides focused, in-depth coverage of West Bengal, demonstrating an intimate knowledge of the state's news and political nuances.
Core Authority: Her reporting portfolio highlights deep Expertise in crucial, often sensitive, beats, including:
State Politics and Governance: Covering the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), opposition strategies (BJP), and internal political controversies.
Judicial and Administrative Affairs: Closely monitoring key developments in the Calcutta High Court, particularly major rulings related to employment, education, and social issues.
Education Sector: Extensive reporting on significant controversies, such as teacher recruitment irregularities and administrative actions by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE).
Social & Electoral Issues: Covering public events, community tensions (e.g., religious/political gatherings), and election-related processes like the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll.
Tanusree Bose's consistent output and focus on high-stakes regional issues for a trusted media outlet underscore her status as a reliable and authoritative source for news from West Bengal. ... Read More
