New Delhi: The electoral battleground in Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh, has centered around the Munjare household, where a unique scenario has unfolded: the Congress MLA wife and BSP candidate husband have decided to live apart until polling day on April 19.
Balaghat MLA Anubha Munjare revealed that her husband, Kankar Munjare, urged her to stay away due to their differing political ideologies. He expressed concerns that if they stayed under one roof, it might raise suspicions of collusion or "match-fixing," news agency PTI reported.
Their decision comes despite having lived together during the previous Assembly polls, where Anubha represented the Congress and Kankar contested on behalf of the Gondwana Gantantra Party from Paraswada constituency.
"We had stayed together during the Assembly polls last year when I was Congress candidate from Balaghat and he was Gondwana Gantantra Party candidate from Paraswada in the district. I fail to understand why he wants us to stay apart now," Anubha Munjare told PTI.
Anubha, who triumphed over BJP heavyweight Gaurishankar Bisen in the 2023 state elections, further stated, "We have been married for 33 years and have lived happily along with our son. There are families that live together despite members being part of different political ideologies. Look at the Scindias of Gwalior."
Anubha pledged her full support to Congress' Balaghat Lok Sabha candidate Samrat Saraswat while refraining from criticizing her husband during the campaign. The BJP must be defeated in Balaghat under any circumstance, she asserted, as per the PTI report.
Meanwhile, Kankar Munjare told PTI, "I told my wife to live separately till April 19 or I will leave the house. Two people pursuing different ideologies cannot stay in the same house. If we do so people will think some sort of poll match-fixing is going on."
The BSP candidate claimed MP Congress chief Jitu Patwari, while addressing a gathering, had insisted that he be defeated, reported PTI.