Battle Of The Exes In Bengal's Bishnupur As TMC Pits Sujata Mondal Against Saumitra Khan

TMC's Sujata Mandal will be contesting the Lok Sabha elections against her ex-husband Saumitra Khan, a BJP candidate for the Bishnupur's Lok Sabha seat. 

With Trinamool Congress (TMC) announcing its list of 42 candidates for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections on Sunday, West Bengal's Bishnupur seat is all set to witness a battle between exes. TMC's Sujata Mandal will be contesting the Lok Sabha elections against her ex-husband Saumitra Khan, a BJP candidate for the Bishnupur's Lok Sabha seat. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielded Saumitra Khan from the seat last month when it unveiled its list for the Lok Sabha election. Sujata Mondal and Saumitra Khan separated in 2021 during the West Bengal's assembly elections, when Khan announced the split on record after Sujata's decision to enter politics as a leader of the Triamool Congress.

"I would request her to stop using the surname 'Khan'. I am severing all relations with Sujata today. I am sending her a divorce notice. I also request the media to not label her as a 'Khan'," Saumitra had said while announcing the split. 

However, it must be noted that Saumitra himself was a TMC leader until 2019, when he defacted to the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha election. 

CM Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) revealed its Lok Sabha candidate list on Sunday afternoon amid a massive public rally at Kolkata's Brigade Parade grounds. The party named 42 candidates, including former cricketer Yusuf Pathan. 

The party fielded Mahua Moitra from Krishnanagar. Mahua Moitra, who was ejected from the Lok Sabha in a bribe-for-question allegations, will again run for the Krishnanagar Lok Sabha constituency, which she represented in 2019.

TMC retained 16 of the state's 23 current MPs. The TMC announced candidates for all Bengal seats, leaving no opportunity for the I.N.D.I.A-ally Congress. However, it must be noted that Congress is not an official ally of TMC in West Bengal. 

Nine Bengal MLAs have been nominated for the Lok Sabha elections, including BJP turncoats Biswajit Das and Mukutmani Adhikari, who will run in Bongaon and Ranaghat, Matua strongholds that the TMC lost to the BJP in 2019.