Kolkata, May 24: The results of the re-polling for the Falta assembly seat in West Bengal were announced on Sunday. BJP candidate Debangshu Panda emerged victorious with a significant margin of 109,021 votes, while the Trinamool Congress (TMC) forfeited its bail.
Panda secured a total of 149,666 votes, while CPI(M) candidate Shambhunath Kurmi came in second with 40,645 votes. Congress candidate Abdur Rajjak finished third with 10,084 votes, and TMC’s Jahangir Khan placed fourth with 7,783 votes. Both Congress and TMC candidates lost their bail.
The re-polling results in Falta are unique for two reasons. This marks the first time since the establishment of the TMC in January 1988 that a party candidate has finished in fourth place. Additionally, it is the first instance since 2011, when the 34-year reign of the Left Front ended and TMC came to power, that a party candidate has forfeited their bail.
The re-polling in Falta took place on May 21. With Panda’s victory, the BJP now holds a total of 208 seats in the West Bengal assembly of 294.
The trend on Sunday sharply contrasts with previous results in Falta, whether from the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections or the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In the 2021 assembly elections, TMC’s Shankar Kumar Nashkar won Falta by a margin of 41,000 votes. Falta is one of seven assembly seats within the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency.
TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who is also the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has represented the Diamond Harbour seat three times. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Falta assembly constituency provided Banerjee with a lead of approximately 120,000 votes.
Voting for the second phase of the recently concluded assembly elections in the state took place on April 29, but the elections were annulled due to multiple complaints of fraud. Allegations included the covering of EVM buttons related to BJP candidates with white tape at several polling stations.
Following this, special election observer Subrata Gupta personally visited Falta for an investigation. Based on Gupta’s findings, the Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered a re-poll in the entire Falta assembly constituency.
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