Saumitra Khan

Personal life Khan was born in a Bengali Hindu family of Shunri jati on 8 December 1980 to Dhanonjoy Khan and Chhaya Rani Khan at Durlabhpur in Bankura district, West Bengal. He studied at Panchmura Mahavidyalaya. His wife, Sujata Mondal Khan, joined Trinamool Congress, after Saumitra Khan filed for divorce. On 7 February 2023, with the order of the Hon'ble court of Bankura, he got divorced. This has led to an ongoing controversy in West Bengal politics. Another controversy occurred when he demanded a separate state of Junglemahal state.

Political career In the 2011 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, Khan was elected to the assembly from Katulpur constituency as a candidate of the Indian National Congress. On 12 December 2013, he announced his intention to join the ruling Trinamool Congress. He alleged that the state Congress unit was ignoring the Bankura district. Four days later, he officially joined Trinamool Congress. On 9 January 2019, he defected to Bharatiya Janata Party. Subsequently, he was expelled by his former party. The Times of India reported that Mukul Roy, who himself defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party played an important role in recruiting Khan. The "dynastic rule" in the Trinamool Congress and the political violence in the state were the reasons cited by Khan to switch parties.

In February 2019 it was alleged that Khan had extorted money from job aspirants on false promises. The Kolkata High Court announced that he could not be arrested though it prevented him from entering Bankura. On 12 April, the Supreme Court of India refused to overturn the ban on him although he was allowed to enter the district for filing his nomination papers. In the absence of Khan, his wife Sujata Khan started campaigning for him for the upcoming general election. Khan managed to win from the same constituency with a margin of 78,047 votes even without holding any roadshow or addressing any political rally.