Who is Rekha Patra? Sandeshkhali survivor and BJP candidate from Basirhat

For the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Rekha Patra, a survivor of violence in Sandeshkhali, West Bengal, has been nominated as a candidate by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Basirhat. She spoke out against the wrongdoings in Sandeshkhali, resulting in the arrest of TMC strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and his two aides.

Rekha, a resident of Sandeshkhali, was instrumental in raising her voice about the plight of women in her community, even meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to share their struggles.

Prime Minister Modi personally praised Rekha, calling her "Shakti Swaroopa" for her courage in standing up against the perpetrators. Rekha was the first woman to formally complain against the accused and gave a statement to the authorities.

The thirty-year-old something allegedly suffered torture at the hands of Shajahan Sheikh and his cohorts. She protested against her oppressors carrying her girl child on her waist alongside scores of other women agitators from the region. Multiple women accused Shahjahan and his aides of "land-grab and sexual assault" under coercion, as a local agitation against the TMC blew up.

Despite being a housewife and wife of a migrant worker, Rekha has been vocal about addressing issues like job creation and preventing migration for work.

Also watch: BJP picks Sandeshkhali protester as candidate from Bengal's Basirhat, PM calls her 'shakti swaroopa'