Kolkata, 24 May

BJP candidate Debangshu Panda surged to an unassailable lead of over 76,000 votes in the Falta Assembly repoll on Sunday, turning a constituency once seen as a showcase of TMC’s organisational muscle into the site of a political reversal that could resonate far beyond South 24 Parganas.

Panda polled 1,11,270 votPanda polled 1,11,270 votes, leading CPI(M)'s Sambhu Nath Kurmi, who secured 34,873 votes. Congress candidate Abdur Razzak Molla stood third with 9,284 votes, while TMC nominee Jahangir Khan – once among the most talked-about faces of the Falta campaign – slipped to fourth spot with just 5,319 votes.

What was once projected by the TMC as the invincible "Diamond Harbour model" appeared to be unravelling on Sunday, as the BJP raced ahead in the Falta repoll, turning a local contest into a broader political statement, just days after it ended the TMC's 15-year reign and scripted a regime change in West Bengal.

The scale of the BJP's lead transformed what was expected to be a straightforward electoral exercise into a politically loaded outcome carrying implications far beyond the constituency.

Until a few weeks ago, Falta was being described by the Trinamool Congress camp as one of the key symbols of its organisational dominance in the Diamond Harbour belt. The constituency had witnessed aggressive political mobilisation and had become central to a bitter face-off between the BJP and TMC.

Then came a sequence of events that altered the political script.

Khan, who cultivated a larger-than-life ‘Pushpa’-style image of defiance during the campaign and emerged as one of the most recognisable faces of the contest, dramatically announced two days before the repoll that he was stepping aside "for Falta's interest". In a move that triggered political shockwaves, Khan cited Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's promise of a special development package as one of the reasons for his withdrawal.

The TMC swiftly distanced itself from theannouncement, terming it his "personal decision".

The constituency saw little sign of an active TMC campaign during the repoll. Party offices largely remained inactive and Khan himself stayed away from public view. On polling day, residents said his residence remained locked and local party workers were conspicuous by their absence.

The BJP, sensing an opportunity, sharpened its attack and repeatedly claimed that the repoll would reveal what a "free election" in Falta looked like. A local BJP leader pointed to the “irony” of the changing political landscape.

"From this very region, Abhishek Banerjee had secured a massive Lok Sabha lead in 2024. This election may tell a different story about what voters wanted when they could vote freely," he asserted.

The constituency had become the centre of controversy after the 29 April polling, when complaints surfaced over alleged use of perfume-like substances, ink marks and adhesive tapes on EVMs at multiple booths. Subsequent scrutiny also revealed alleged attempts to tamper with web-camera footage from polling stations, prompting the Election Commission to order a repoll in all 285 booths.

The repoll, held on May 21 under an unprecedented security blanket of around 35 companies of central forces, recorded over 87 per cent turnout among the 2.36 lakh electorate. If the BJP formally wins Falta, its tally in EC records for the 2026 polls would rise to 208 from 207, though its effective assembly strength would remain unchanged after Adhikari vacated Nandigram upon retaining Bhabanipur.

With five rounds of counting still remaining, BJP leaders in Falta were not discussing victory anymore. Their conversation had shifted elsewhere – to the size of the margin.