KOLKATA: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday registered a landslide victory in the repoll for West Bengal’s Falta Assembly constituency, defeating its nearest rival by more than one lakh votes in a seat long regarded as a Trinamool Congress (TMC) stronghold.
According to Election Commission figures, BJP candidate Debangshu Panda secured 1,49,666 votes, defeating Communist Party of India (Marxist) nominee Sambhu Nath Kurmi, who polled 40,645 votes, by a margin of 1,09,021 votes.
Congress candidate Abdur Razzak Molla finished third with 10,084 votes, while TMC nominee Jahangir Khan came fourth with 7,783 votes and forfeited his deposit.
Khan had announced two days before polling that he was stepping aside “for Falta’s interest”, although his name remained on electronic voting machines because nominations could no longer be withdrawn.
The repoll was conducted on May 21 across all 285 booths under heavy security after complaints during the April 29 polling over alleged use of perfume-like substances, ink marks and adhesive tapes on electronic voting machines.
The result marked a dramatic reversal in a constituency held by the TMC since 2011. In the 2021 Assembly election, the party had secured around 57 percent of the vote in Falta. This time, the BJP secured 71.2 percent vote share, while the TMC’s share dropped to 3.7 percent.
Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari described the result as evidence that voters had been able to cast their ballots freely. In a post on X, he thanked voters for giving the BJP a “resounding mandate” and promised development in the constituency.
Panda said the outcome reflected a free and fair electoral process.
“People have been able to cast their vote freely and fairly. I want to thank the people of Falta for the victory,” he said.
