It is ironical that five years ago, it was Sujata who was the chief campaigner for his husband who could not step into his constituency Bishnupur in Bankura district following a court order. With her husband's photograph and mouthing the saffron camp campaign spiel, she had moved across the length and breadth of Bishnupur and ensured is victory in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Khan who has tied the knot again dismisses the efforts of his the then wife. He ascribes his electoral triumph to "Modi wave". Underscoring his point, the BJP candidate pointed out that together with the "efforts" of his former wife was his own honest image. At the end of day the support of thousands of saffron camp activists tipped the scale in his favour.

Appreciation and attacks both on the personal level seem to be part and parcel of the election campaign of Bishnupur Lok Sabha. Referring to her own party nominee as " gablu-gabla" (roly poly), chief minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee wondered why on earth had she married Saumitra Khan.

In her address at the same election rally, Banerjee inquired from Mondal how many houses does her former husband possess. Continuing her tirade against the BJP candidate, the chief minister said the people will account for the way such a huge property has been amassed by the BJP candidate.

In the acrimonious election campaign, the real issues plaguing Bishnupur have been pushed to the sidelines in the slanging match. The ferro alloy unit in Dwarika industrial estate which led to a booming economy of the constituency earlier is now closed.

If rise in pollution is stated to be the reason behind the ferro alloy plant downing shutters, no efforts are discernible to revive the industrial estate which is in a shambles for a decade. It used to be a major job provider to the local populace as well as those from outside the state.

No initiatives have been taken to improve the sorry plight of the weavers of Baluchari saris. Bishnupur Ramsharan Music College, arguably one of the oldest institutions of its kind is yet to get government recognition.

Khan considers initiating the beginning of Bishnupur-Joyrambati railway route to be his principal achievement during his tenure. Taking up building a national highway between Morgram and Suri is his next agenda of development. Electoral arithmetic is in a curious state in Bishnupur. If there were five out of seven Assembly constituencies from which BJP nominees won, the legislators of Bishnupur and Kotulpur have joined Trinamool Congress in the recent years.

Mondal had contested as a TMC nominee from Arambag Assembly in 2021election.She had lost. A slim margin result is not ruled out in the poll battle between a couple who have gone separate ways. Meanwhile, both the BJP and the TMC contestants are sparing no effort to make their presence felt. If Mondal made her appearance with a cricket bat, Khan was the cynosure of all eyes in a football field. Both BJP and the TMC candidates have organisations behind them fully prepared. Any one, the present BJP member or his divorced wife TMC candidate has the potential to win from this constituency.

As regards Purulia, this red earth constituency which BJP nominee Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato won in 2019 election will witness a four cornered contest due to the failure of INDIA coalition to field a common candidate.. Congress and Forward Bloc candidates, INDIA partners both, will be in the fray together with Trinamool Congress and BJP, come May 25.

Congress-Left bonhomie derailed in this tribal-dominated Lok Sabha constituency making it the only seat of its kind in the entire state. Rubbishing coalition principles owing to its long winning run in this seat from 1977 to 2009, Forward Bloc has fielded Dhirendranath Mahato from this seat. A son of the soil who rose from the ranks, he used to be beedi factory worker. In contrast, the Congress candidate, Nepal Mahato who has been holding aloft the party flag in the district for years, is the son Deben Mahato, a senior Congress leader.

Having contested from Purulia Lok Sabha in 2014 and 2019, Nepal Mahato finished third on both occasions. Small wonder, the FB leadership stuck to its stand of not leaving its claim on Purulia, its old stronghold despite repeated persuasion by front allies especially CPI(M)

While Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato is seeking a second term, Trinamool Congress has fielded former state minister Santiram Mahato. The BJP candidate stands to gain as anti-BJP votes will be split three ways between candidates from TMC, FB and Congress.

Having emerged victorious sans a well knit organisation in 2019,Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato won with a thumping margin of over two lakh votes. He seems to have a leg up in the ongoing poll race with an well structured organisation aiding his poll machinery this time and utilisation of his MPLAD fund for drinking water projects, sewerage system development, setting up of community centres and renovation of schools.

As the BJP and TMC nominees lock horns, the saffron camp campaigners question the contribution of the TMC candidate for the constituency. His contribution for development is not stated to be significant despite his being a two time minister in the Mamata government.

The BJP nominee has the electoral arithmetic in his favour. Amidst landslide Trinamool victories in 2021 elections, saffron camp nominees won five out of seven constituencies though TMC gained recovering lost ground in the last rural polls.

As the BJP candidate seems to be poised for victory, a close look at the ground realities reveal that there is many a slip between the cup and lip. Dissatisfied by their demand of non-inclusion as a scheduled tribe, Kurmis have fielded Ajit Mahato as their representative in this election.

Their past movement for their demand culminating in "rail roko" movement paralysed train movement in Purulia, Bankura and Midnapur (West). Presently in OBC category, Kurmis constitute a major portion of the population and splitting their votes can go to the advantage of the TMC candidate. In the last elections, this section of kurmis voted for the BJP.

The situation for Purulia’s BJP candidate worsened when Medinipur MP and the then state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh roughly handled some Kurmi leaders when they met him and sought cooperation in their agitation. The incident is stated to be one of the reasons of Ghosh being denied renomination from Medinipur.

Together with Ajit Mahato, all the three other candidates are zeroing on to this chink in Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato’s election armour as granting scheduled tribe status lies with the Union government run by the BJP. If the prospect of splitting of anti-BJP votes by multiplicity of candidates is a boon to the BJP candidate, division of Kurmi votes which would otherwise been cast in his favour can turn out to be a bane to his electoral prospects. (IPA Service)