The Asansol parliamentary seat fell vacant after Babul Supriyo quit as a BJP MP last year
One of Bengal's largest cities, Asansol, will vote for its MP in Lok Sabha bypolls next week and the main rivals are an "outsider" and a candidate who calls herself the "daughter" of the city.
The Trinamool candidate, actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, faces the BJP's Agnimitra Paul, a designer-turned-MLA in the election to be held on Tuesday.
The Asansol parliamentary seat fell vacant after Babul Supriyo quit as a BJP MP last year and switched to the Trinamool Congress, pledging allegiance to Mamata Banerjee.
The Trinamool has never won the Asansol seat before but hopes that Shatrughan Sinha, the flamboyant former movie star who quit the BJP in 2019, will make an impact and reel in the non-Bengali population in the constituency.
Mr Sinha's BJP rival calls herself the "daughter of Asansol". In the intense campaign, the BJP has sent many star campaigners to the constituency, including Bengali actors. The party accuses Mamata Banerjee of bringing an outsider into the Asansol contest. But Shatrughan Sinha says he is now not just a "Bihari Babu" but a Bengali Babu too - he often breaks into Bengali in his campaign speeches.
"Now, along with Bihari Babu, I am Bengali Babu also. Mamata Banerjee called me and told me in Bengali - 'You will contest from Asansol, you can't say no'."
On being called an "outsider", he said: "I am sure even the Congress and Left candidates here can call themselves sons of Asansol. I am the son of India. I have a deep attachment to Bengal and have done so many films here."
He went on: "If I am an outsider here, then what is (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi-ji in Varanasi? If I am an outsider, then is Modi an insider?"
Mr Sinha said he had learnt Bengali in Bihar capital Patna.
Praising Mamata Banerjee, Mr Sinha said he was "most influenced" today by "the queen of hawai chappal, queen of cotton sari and creator of 'khela hobey', just see how when Modi ji challenged her, Mamata ji said 'khela hobey' and even in wheelchair, played the khela."
Referring to the BJP's star campaigners, Mr Sinha said: "You can't fool all the people all the time."
The BJP, however, is confident of another straight victory in Asansol.
Its candidate Agnimitra Paul said: "I am the Ghar ki beti (daughter). I have worked here for a year. (Shatrughan Sinha) has contributed to Bollywood but has no contribution to politics. A person who can change three parties - the common man does not trust such people."