Sundarbans speaks beyond ballots: Votes on one side, survival on the other

In this edition of Election Despatch, India Today's Preeti Chaudhry brings this ground report from West Bengal's Sundarbans as the state votes in the first of assembly elections. The report highlights a complex political landscape marked by anti-incumbency sentiments and deep polarisation. In the Sundarbans, residents face severe livelihood crises, climate challenges, and frequent tiger attacks while collecting crabs in the mangrove forests. Villagers weave nylon nets provided by the forest department for protection, yet casualties remain high, forcing many to migrate for work. The electorate remains divided, balancing immediate survival concerns in ecologically fragile zones with broader ideological and political loyalties ahead of the polls.