Ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, the BJP has fielded Ratna Debnath, mother of the RG Kar Medical College rape-murder victim, from Panihati. Party leaders defended the move, calling it a step toward justice and women’s empowerment

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari participated in a Ram Navami procession in Bhabanipur, while heightened security was deployed across West Bengal, especially in sensitive districts like Howrah and Hooghly