Patra is an alleged victim of torture by arrested and now-suspended Trinamool Congress leader Shajahan Sheikh and his associates. The BJP has accused the TMC of involvement, while the ruling party of West Bengal has denied the allegation.

Rekha Patra has not joined BJP officially as of yet but her name was mentioned in the 5th candidates list released by the party on Monday for Basirhat Lok Sabha seat.

Sandeshkhali is part of that constituency.

Day after the nomination announcement, posters bearing slogans such as “We don't want Rekha as a candidate” and “We don't want Rekha Patra as BJP candidate” were found.

A local BJP leader reportedly told PTI, “Those posters were not ours. The Trinamool Congress has done this to indulge in cheap politics.”

However, the TMC has denied the accusation.

As per PTI reports, some women of the locality are happy that Patra got the nomination to contest the election.

One of them told the media, "We could not see an MP in the past. Now we may have an MP from our village."

Who is Rekha Patra?

Rekha Patra was one of the most outspoken demonstrators in Sandeshkhali.

She lodged a complaint that led to the arrest of Shibu Hazra, a local strongman and an associate of Shajahan Sheikh.

It is also believed that Patra was part of a group that met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his public meeting in Barasat on March 6.

They shared the struggles faced by women in Sandeshkhali with the Prime Minister.

“Let (Bengal CM) Mamata Banerjee wipe the tears of women like her, who are suffering in silence, and are subject to her apathy, before she asks for their vote,” Amit Malviya, the BJP’s West Bengal co-incharge, said in a post on X.

Sandeshkhali is a riverine island located in the North 24 Parganas district that saw unrest in the past few months due to accusations of sexual crimes against women and illegal seizure of land by Sheikh and his group.

Sheikh was arrested by the local police last month for his involvement in an attack on Enforcement Directorate officers on January 5.

The case is currently being investigated by the CBI, and Sheikh is under the custody of the central agency.