The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) recorded a landslide win in the repoll for West Bengal’s Falta Assembly seat on Sunday. Its candidate Debangshu Panda won by a massive margin of over one lakh votes.
Panda secured a record victory margin of 1,09,021 votes, the highest among all 294 seats that went to polls in April. He received 149,666 votes in total.
TMC Suffers Major Setback, Loses Deposit
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) suffered a heavy defeat. Its candidate finished fourth with just 7,783 votes and lost the electoral deposit for the first time since 2011, when the party came to power in the state.
CPI(M) candidate Sambhu Nath Kurmi came second with 40,645 votes, while Congress candidate Abdur Razzak Molla finished third with 10,084 votes.
Repoll Ordered After Voting Allegations
Authorities ordered a repoll in Falta after a section of Hindu voters alleged that TMC candidate Jahangir Khan and his supporters prevented them from voting in elections since 2011.
The constituency has around 2.25 lakh voters, including nearly 1.65 lakh Hindu voters, according to reports.
Candidate Withdrawal Controversy
Jahangir Khan created political tension within the TMC after he announced his withdrawal from the election just 48 hours before the bypoll on May 21. However, his name still remained on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
BJP Strengthens Its Position in Bengal
After the April two-phase elections, the BJP had won 207 seats against TMC’s 80. With this repoll result, the BJP’s tally has now increased to 208 seats.
BJP Celebrates Victory, Attacks TMC
Celebrations broke out among BJP supporters after the result. Party leaders praised voters and strongly criticised the Trinamool Congress.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who had urged voters to ensure a victory margin of over one lakh votes, thanked the electorate after the win.
He wrote on X, “A party without a principal or policy turned into a mafia company. The defeat has exposed its skeleton. This is just the beginning. In the coming days, the TMC leadership will face a tough time contesting against the NOTA (none of the above option in EVM).”
He also promised development for Falta, saying the party would repay the “debt through development” and build a “golden Falta”. He further accused the TMC of misusing power, looting public funds, and promoting a culture of intimidation and syndicates.
Mamata Banerjee Questions Election Process
Former Chief Minister and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee questioned the election process during a live Facebook address.
She said, “Was this an election or a face? 10 million voters were delisted in the name of logical discrepancy (during the special intensive revision of electoral roll). There was rampant rigging at the counting centres. BJP people entered the counting centres wearing Central armed paramilitary force uniforms,” Banerjee said.