The BJP has given a ticket to the mother of the RG Kar victim from Panihati constituency as it announced the names of candidates for 19 more constituencies in West Bengal on Wednesday for the state Assembly polls 2026.

After the publication of the BJP’s first list of candidates, there was a buzz that the mother of the junior doctor who was raped and murdered at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in August 2024 was likely to be fielded from the Panihati Assembly seat in North 24-Parganas.

On 19 March, the victim’s mother confirmed that she had given her consent to contest from Panihati on a BJP ticket.

She accused the CPM of trying to use her daughter’s murder for political gain.

“I have decided to contest as a BJP candidate. The proposal came repeatedly, but initially I did not agree,” the mother told reporters.

“Finally, I decided to become a candidate to uproot the TMC because of the growing atrocities against women and the lack of safety for them.”

“All the parties had come to offer us a ticket. But we thought that the BJP was the party that could secure justice for my daughter,” the mother said.

In Panihati, the BJP nominee will face Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Tirthankar Ghosh, son of outgoing chief whip of the assembly Nirmal Ghosh, while the CPI(M) has fielded Kallatan Dasgupta.

Trinamool state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said, "With all due respect to Abhaya's mother, I say that the trap you have fallen into has become complete hypocrisy. We were also protesting against the horrific death of Abhaya. We all opposed the distorted propaganda. At that time, in Mamata Banerjee's state, the Kolkata Police had caught the culprit within 24 hours. You were the ones who wanted the CBI. As a result, the High Court also gave you the CBI. But after the investigation, it was found that the culprit whom the Kolkata Police had caught was right."

Ghosh further said, "You have continuously said that the CBI did not give justice. But the CBI actually belongs to the BJP. You wanted to meet the Prime Minister and Home Minister. They did not give you even a minute. They ignored you. They insulted you. And you became the candidate of that same BJP."

The third phase list includes names from several constituencies in North Bengal.

Rathindranath Bose has been fielded in Cooch Behar South. Dinesh Sarkar has been fielded in Raiganj. Apart from this, the BJP has given tickets to Chiranjit Roy in Islampur, Haripada Barman in Hemtabad, and Amlan Bhaduri in English Bazar.

The BJP has fielded Swapan Das from Shantipur in Nadia and Biplob Mandal from Howrah Central.

Other nominees include Dipanjan Chakraborty (Uttarpara), Arup Kumar Das (Singur), Dipanjan Kumar Guha (Chandannagar), Subir Nag (Chunchura), Madhumita Ghosh (Haripal), Hare Krishna Bera (Tamluk), Shankar Guchait (Medinipur), and Pran Krishna Tapdar (Purbasthali South). Krishna Ghosh will contest from Katwa, Krishna Kant Saha from Sainthia, and Anil Singh from Nalhati.

The polling in West Bengal will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29. The counting of votes is set for May 4.

In the first list of 144 candidates, leader of Opposition in the outgoing Assembly Suvendu Adhikari was announced from Nandigram, where he defeated Mamata Banerjee in 2021, and from Bhawanipore, the constituency currently held by the TMC supremo.

The ruling TMC has already declared candidates for all 294 seats, while the CPI(M)-led Left Front has released three lists so far. The Congress is yet to announce its candidates.

The first phase covering 152 Assembly constituencies will begin with the issuance of the gazette notification on March 30, 2026. The last date for filing nominations for this phase is April 6, while scrutiny of nominations will take place on April 7.

Candidates will be allowed to withdraw their nominations until April 9.

For the second phase, which covers 142 Assembly constituencies, the gazette notification will be issued on April 2, 2026. The last date for filing nominations is April 9, and the scrutiny of nominations will take place on April 10.

Candidates can withdraw their nominations until April 13.