Repolling commenced on Thursday in West Bengal’s politically sensitive Falta assembly constituency under tight security arrangements, following allegations of electoral irregularities during the earlier phase of voting.
Located in South 24 Parganas district and considered part of Abhishek Banerjee’s Diamond Harbour stronghold, the constituency has emerged as a major flashpoint between the ruling BJP and the ousted TMC during the ongoing Assembly elections.
Polling began at 7 am across 285 booths, with more than 2.36 lakh voters eligible to cast their ballots, including 1.15 lakh women voters and nine third-gender electors.
Election Commission Orders Repoll
The Election Commission ordered the repoll after citing “severe electoral offences and subversion of the democratic process” during voting held on April 29 in the second phase of the Assembly elections.
The earlier polling witnessed allegations of EVM manipulation, while authorities also detected attempts to tamper with footage captured by web cameras installed at several polling stations.
Questions were subsequently raised regarding the conduct of booth-level officers, presiding officers, polling staff and election observers assigned to the constituency.
Falta’s Political Significance
The Falta seat has traditionally been a Trinamool Congress stronghold, with the party retaining the constituency since 2001, except for a brief CPI(M) victory in 2006.
However, the political landscape in West Bengal changed dramatically in the 2026 Assembly elections, with the BJP winning 207 seats and ending the TMC’s 15-year rule in the state. The TMC managed to secure only 80 seats.
The repoll in Falta is therefore being closely watched as a symbolic and politically charged contest.
Candidates in the Fray
Six candidates are contesting the seat, including TMC nominee Jahangir Khan, who announced on Tuesday that he was withdrawing from the race. However, his name remains on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) as the official deadline for withdrawal had already passed.
Other candidates include:
- BJP candidate Debangshu Panda
- CPI(M) nominee Sambhu Nath Kurmi
- Congress candidate Abdur Razzak Molla
Political Tensions Escalate
Political tensions in the constituency intensified after allegations surfaced that perfume substances and adhesive tapes had been applied to EVMs during the April 29 polling.
Former Election Commission Special Observer Subrata Gupta reportedly visited the constituency and conducted an inquiry, following which evidence of alleged tampering was said to have been found in at least 60 booths.
Meanwhile, West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari targeted Jahangir Khan during a rally in Diamond Harbour, mocking the TMC leader for comparing himself to the smuggler-turned-strongman character from the film Pushpa: The Rise.
“Where is that Pushpa — the dacoit? He is not seen anywhere now,” Adhikari said during the rally.
He further alleged that the National Human Rights Commission had identified 19 individuals as notorious criminals in 2021, adding that Jahangir was among them.
Ahead of the rally, police arrested Saidul Khan, described as a close aide of Jahangir and Trinamool’s Falta vice-president, on charges including issuing death threats.
Massive Security Deployment
Authorities have deployed 35 companies of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) to maintain order during the repoll.
Officials said eight CAPF personnel, equivalent to a full section, have been stationed at each polling booth. During the earlier polling, only four personnel had been deployed per booth.
Additionally, 30 Quick Response Teams (QRTs) have been kept on standby to respond swiftly to any untoward incident.
