In the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, the Bishnupur constituency in West Bengal’s Bankura district is poised for a showdown between Sujata Mondal, representing the Trinamool Congress (TMC), and Saumitra Khan, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) candidate. Mondal’s candidacy for Bishnupur was officially announced by the TMC on Sunday, while the BJP had named Khan as their candidate earlier this month.
The electoral contest holds a unique dynamic as Mondal and Khan were formerly married but divorced in 2020, following Mondal’s entry into politics as a TMC member leading up to the 2021 assembly elections. Khan, who defected from the TMC, joined the BJP ahead of the 2019 elections.
On Sunday, the TMC disclosed the list of candidates for all 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state, forsaking the opposition coalition, INDIA bloc. Abhishek Banerjee, TMC’s general secretary and the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, presented the list at the Brigade Parade Ground. Banerjee himself will be contesting from Diamond Harbour.
Notable candidates include Mahua Moitra, expelled from Lok Sabha in the previous winter session, fielded for the Krishnanagar constituency. Mukut Mani Adhikari, who recently resigned from the BJP, has been nominated for the Ranaghat Lok Sabha seat. Shatrughan Sinha is set to recontest from Asansol, a seat he won in the 2022 bypoll.
TMC’s candidate lineup also features Jagadish C Basuniya for Cooch Behar, Prakash Chik Baraik for Alipurduar, Nirmal Ch Roy for Jalpaiguri, and Gopal Lama for Darjeeling. Krishna Kalyani, Biplab Mitra, and Prasun Banerjee will contest from Raiganj, Balurghat, and Malda Uttar, respectively.
In response to the candidate announcements, the TMC reiterated its commitment to stand with the common people against the perceived deprivation by the Central Government. The party emphasized Mamata Banerjee’s leadership and proclaimed its dedication to confronting the BJP’s ‘jomidars’ (landlords) directly, asserting that the people’s choice lies with the TMC.
