Assembly Elections LIVE updates: BJP fields R.G. Kar victim’s mother from Panihati

BJP candidate from Shibpur Assembly constituency Rudranil Ghosh interacts with a woman during a door-to-door campaign, in Howrah. File
| Photo Credit:
PTI

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday (March 25, 2026), fielded the mother of the doctor who was raped and murdered at Kolkata’s R.G. Kar Hospital and Medical College in August 2024. She will contest from Panihati in North 24 Parganas. The party announced the names of candidates for 19 more constituencies in West Bengal on Wednesday evening.

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has alleged that only two parties are fighting the upcoming Assembly election in Kerala: the United Democratic Front (UDF), and the partnership between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)]-led Left Democratic Front (LDF).

Watch: ‘Prove you’re Indian first’: Mamata Banerjee’s blistering attack on BJP

Various political parties and their candidates have intensified their door-to-door canvassing in Puducherry. Candidates accompanied by their followers carrying their respective party flags started approaching voters at their doorsteps.

AIADMK general secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami said the AIADMK-led NDA would win 210 seats and form the government with an absolute majority.

Also read: BJP’s emphasis on peace and development has led to optimism, says CM Sarma

Assam, Kerala, and the Union Territory of Puducherry will go to the polls on April 9, 2026. In Tamil Nadu, the election will be conducted on April 23. The first phase of elections will be held on April 23, 2026, in West Bengal, and the second phase on April 29, 2026. The counting for all these elections will be held on May 4, 2026.