Rekha Patra, a woman from Sandeshkari in Bengal who is now the BJP candidate in Basirhat, said during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state , she could not meet him. The Prime Minister called her today and called her ‘Shakti Swaroopa’, adding another layer to the raging controversy over Rahul Gandhi accusing the BJP of abusing power.

“Despite my best efforts, I was not able to meet him,” Ms Patra told New Delhi TV today. “But it’s great that other women from Sandeshkari will be able to meet him. The BJP has called five-six of us (to attend the Prime Minister’s public meeting in the state),” she said.

“I was happy to hear that Modiji is doing something for us. Now that I have spoken to him, I am even happier. He is like Lord Ram and like God blessing us…maybe I will live to see better days,” she said in an exclusive interview with New Delhi TV.

Ms Patra is one of the women who have long campaigned against local Trinamool strongman Sheikh Shahjahan, accusing him of sexual harassment and land grabbing. The man is now in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate and has been expelled from the party for six years.

Sandesh Khali’s women’s allegation is a boon for the BJP, which aims to win 25 of the state’s 40 Lok Sabha seats, up from 18 in 2019.

The party supported the women’s protests and, in a bid to bring the matter to the spotlight in a state led by women, offered votes to Ms Patra’s Sandeshkari constituency.

In a conversation today, Prime Minister Modi said he was confident Ms Patra would win. “You are Shakti Swarupa and you sent such a powerful man to jail. Together we will fight for the honor of women, not just in Basirhat but across Bengal,” he said.

“We feel Bengal’s nari shakti will bless us this time. People are upset because of the Trinamool Congress government,” he said, in a swipe at the party led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee , the party has always enjoyed support from women in the state.