Battle of the exes

As former spouses take on each other, Bishnupur is witnessing a personal as well as political fight

- NILADRY SARKAR

On the banks of the once-untamed Damodar lies the Bishnupur Lok Sabha constituency, encompassing six assembly seats in Bankura district and one in Purba Bardhaman district.

The constituency, named after the historic temple town, is rich with Archaeological Survey of India sites. Today, however, it is in the news because of the fascinating electoral contest between two former spouses, Saumitra Khan and Sujata Mondal.

The BJP has renominated Khan, the 43-year-old incumbent who has won twice from this constituency reserved for scheduled castes. Mondal, 38, is the Trinamool Congress candidate.

Bishnupur, which goes to the polls in the sixth phase on May 25, has emerged as a key constituency for both parties. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bishnupur to campaign for their own candidates, recognising the importance of the constituency.

Khan and Mondal's love story began during the days of the left rule in West Bengal. Their paths crossed for the first time in 2010 when Khan was with the Congress. A year later, he was elected to the assembly from Katulpur in Bankura district when the Trinamool dethroned the left with the help of the Congress. As the Congress-Trinamool alliance broke up in 2012, he switched sides and joined Mamata's party.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the Trinamool fielded Khan from Bishnupur, which was a CPI(M) stronghold for more than four decades. Despite the left losing 20 seats across West Bengal in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, signalling a major political shift, Bishnupur had remained a red zone. But Khan ended the CPI(M)'s dominance, winning the seat by more than a lakh votes.