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Kolkata: RG Kar rape-murder victim's mother Ratna Debnath has clinched victory from the Panihati constituency in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate's historic win has ended Trinamool Congress (TMC)'s 15-year rule in Panihati.

Notably, Panihati had been under TMC's hold since 2011, with Nirmal Ghosh as its MLA. This time, TMC had fielded Nirmal Ghosh's son Tirthankar Ghosh from the seat. Ratna Debnath defeated him by a margin of more than 28,000 votes, amassing a total of 87,977 votes.

The candidacy of Ratna Debnath, who is seeking justice for her daughter, had turned the constituency into a crucial test of public outrage against the incumbent government. In 2024, Ratna Debnath's daughter, a 31-year-old postgraduate resident doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, was raped and murdered while on duty. Her body was found in a seminar room on campus.

‘I Never Combed My Hair’

Ratna Debnath made her political debut in the 2026 Bengal Assembly elections on BJP's ticket. Before filing the nomination paper from Panihati, Debnath said that she won't comb her hair until her daughter would get justice.

Calling Mamata Banerjee her “main enemy”, she had said, “My main enemy is Mamata Banerjee because she's the Health Minister, and my daughter worked for the Health Department. Why didn't Mamata Banerjee save my daughter? I never combed my hair; I'll take an oath until my daughter gets justice, I won't comb my hair. I'll file the nomination tomorrow. People are supporting me and want to see Mamata Banerjee defeated.”

‘This Victory Is The Victory Of People’

After winning the Panihati seat, Ratna Debnath dedicated her victory to the people of Panihati.

“This victory is the victory of the people of Panihati, of the entire Bengal. I dedicate this victory to Prime Minister Modi,” she stated.

Referring to the end of TMC leader Nirmal Ghosh's reign in Panihati, she said, "I have been able to free the people from the misgovernance of the Ghosh family, for which I thank the people; I could not have done this alone. This victory has been achieved because of the people of Panihati."