In the Indian state of West Bengal, fish — a staple so culturally embedded it features in literature, football rivalries, and rites of passage — has moved from the dinner table to the centre of the regional election campaign. Candidates from both the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been photographed brandishing fish on the campaign trail, as the ruling party warns voters that a BJP government would restrict fish and meat consumption, a charge the BJP denies while accusing the incumbents of failing to make the state self-sufficient in fish supply. With roughly 66% of West Bengal's population eating fish weekly, the dispute reflects a broader contest over cultural identity, with the BJP — often associated nationally with vegetarian Hindu nationalist sentiment — seeking to prove its alignment with Bengali food culture ahead of the 4 May results.