Bishnupur (Bengal): Bishnupur, a historic town in the Bankura district of West Bengal known for classical music, Baluchari silk sarees, and terracotta temple, is a key contender to be the next UNESCO heritage site in the state. This temple town is now witnessing a high-voltage battle between the former husband and wife, who are now political adversaries.Saumitra Khan, the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party candidate, is facing off against TMC’s Sujata Mondal, his former wife. In the 2019 election, due to a Calcutta high court order restraining Khan from entering the area, Mondal spearheaded his campaign, armed with his photograph. Despite the court order keeping him out of his constituency, Khan achieved a 32.24% positive swing and dedicated his victory to his wife. Illustration: Pariplab ChakrabortySoon after this, the couple had a bitter fallout and battled in court for a couple of years. Their separation came in 2023. In between, Mondal joined TMC and was nominated for the Arambagh assembly seat in 2021, which she lost to BJP.Mondal has in her campaign speeches accused Khan of never addressing local issues in the parliament. “Does someone who switches parties frequently have any principles in life?” she was heard saying.In response, the BJP’s counter-campaign has highlighted how Mondal had once called Mamata Banerjee, Bengal chief minister and TMC supremo, a “witch” but is now a candidate from her party. Once a stronghold of the left, Bishnupur elected the Communist Party of India (Marxist) 11 times between 1971 and 2014. All that changed in 2014 when Khan, the erstwhile Congress MLA from Kotulpur, running as a TMC candidate, secured 45.51% of the votes. His closest rival CPI(M) received 33.74% and the BJP garnered only 14.11%. This scenario dramatically changed in 2019. Khan again switched from Trinamool to BJP and received 46.25% of the votes in 2019. Trinamool came in second with 40.75%, while CPI(M)’s votes plummeted to 7.22%.“Although not entirely, a section of the poor people are coming back to us. BJP’s votes will decrease this time in these areas. Left votes will increase from before,” claimed CPI(M) leader Amiya Patra. The Left vote has increased considerably in the 2023 panchayat election – a fact which TMC is banking on to win the seat. Ashok Das, a TMC worker, said, “The outcome in Bankura and Bishnupur depends heavily on the Left votes. If the Left can reclaim even a portion of their supporters who shifted to the BJP, it will benefit TMC. Interestingly, some tribal groups and college students are tirelessly campaigning for the CPI(M)!”A CPI(M) rally in Bishnupur. Photo: By arrangement.Shital Kaibarta, belonging to the fishing community, is the CPI(M) candidate. Both the BJP and TMC assert that his candidacy will influence the vote count, yet it remains uncertain which party will be impacted to a greater extent. He said, “Our political campaign aims to bring back the votes of the poor and middle class. It’s not about marital disputes; both parties are essentially one family. We are gaining support from the common people in our fight for principles.”Based on the 2021 assembly election results, securing the Bishnupur Lok Sabha seat presents a challenge for the ruling party. Among the seven assembly segments within this Lok Sabha constituency, BJP emerged victorious in five while TMC managed to secure victories only in Barjora and Khandaghosh in East Burdwan. However, later on, the BJP MLA from Kotulpur, Harakali Pratihar, and Bishnupur, Tanmoy Ghosh, defected to TMC. “Even last time, with a well-known leader like the late Subrata Mukherjee contesting from the Bankura seat, Mamata Banerjee couldn’t secure his victory. TMC will not win this time either,” Saumitra Khan said.In his campaign, Khan has been promising development projects for Bishnupur, including a four-lane national highway, integration into a temple tourism circuit, railway connectivity, and the establishment of a new industrial zone. However, discontent simmers within the BJP due to lack of visibility of the local MP. Many locals, from businessmen to the general populace, express disappointment that despite being the ruling party’s MP, little has been achieved for the constituency.Nirmal Pratihar, a local businessman, said, “The late [CPI(M) MP] Basudeb Acharia was the only one who made the parliament aware of Bankura and Purulia. Nobody knows what the current MP does in Delhi.”Ajay Ray, an agricultural produce trader, joked, “The CPI(M) says that the BJP and Trinamool have made a deal. I don’t know if that’s true, but we are witnessing the fight between the husband and wife (referring to Khan and Mondal). They are attacking each other over personal issues, and people are enjoying the spectacle. If they resolve their marital discord, which side shall we go to? How will their marital quarrels benefit us?”Bishnupur votes on May 25, during phase six of the General Elections.Translated from the Bengali original by Aparna Bhattacharya.