TMC Candidate Loses Deposit In Falta As BJP Sweeps Repoll, Result Adds To Party Woes In Bengal
TMC Candidate Loses Deposit In Falta As BJP Sweeps Repoll, Result Adds To Party Woes In Bengal Published By, Last Updated: May 25, 2026, 10:50
TMC Candidate Loses Deposit In Falta As BJP Sweeps Repoll, Result Adds To Party Woes In Bengal Published By, Last Updated: May 25, 2026, 10:50 IST The TMC suffered a major setback in Bengal’s Falta repoll as Jahangir Khan finished fourth with just 7,783 votes and lost his deposit, while the BJP registered a massive victory. South 24 Parganas: BJP supporters wave the party flag after winning in the repoll to West Bengal's Falta Assembly seat (Photo: PTI) The Trinamool Congress (TMC) suffered a major embarrassment in West Bengal’s Falta Assembly repoll after its candidate Jahangir Khan finished fourth and lost his deposit in a constituency once considered a stronghold of the party. The result came amid the BJP’s sweeping victory in the recently concluded Bengal Assembly elections and added to the growing political churn in the state. The repoll in Falta, held after the Election Commission cancelled the earlier election citing alleged irregularities, ended with BJP candidate Debangshu Panda registering a landslide victory with 1,49,666 votes and more than 71 per cent vote share. CPI(M) candidate Sambhu Nath Kurmi came second with 40,645 votes, while Congress candidate Abdur Razzak Molla secured 10,084 votes. TMC nominee Jahangir Khan managed only 7,783 votes, resulting in the forfeiture of his security deposit. Under election rules, candidates lose their deposit if they fail to secure at least one-sixth of the valid votes polled in the constituency. A SHARP FALL FOR TMC IN A FORMER STRONGHOLD The Falta result marked a dramatic collapse for the TMC in a constituency it had held since 2011. In the 2021 Assembly elections, the party had secured around 57 per cent vote share in the seat.
During the 2024 Lok Sabha polls too, the Falta segment had delivered a massive lead of around 1.68 lakh votes to TMC national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee. That support base appeared to crumble rapidly in the repoll. According to the data available, the BJP’s vote share surged from 36.75 per cent in 2021 to over 71 per cent, while the TMC’s tally crashed to around 3.7 per cent. The repoll was conducted on May 21 under heavy security after allegations surfaced during the April 29 polling over suspected electoral misconduct, including complaints related to EVMs and booth irregularities. The Election Commission subsequently ordered fresh polling across all 285 booths in the constituency. JAHANGIR KHAN’S EXIT FAILED TO CHANGE OUTCOME Jahangir Khan had emerged as one of the most visible faces of the Falta campaign and frequently made headlines during the election season. However, two days before the repoll, he announced that he was stepping aside “for Falta’s interest". Since nominations could not be withdrawn at that stage, his name remained on the electronic voting machines. Reports said there was little visible TMC campaigning during the repoll, with local party offices remaining largely inactive. Residents were quoted as saying Khan’s residence remained locked on polling day, and several local workers were absent from campaign activity. The BJP repeatedly claimed the repoll would demonstrate what a “free election" in Falta looked like. After the result, winning BJP candidate Debangshu Panda said people had finally been able to vote “freely and fairly". BJP LINKS RESULT TO ‘DIAMOND HARBOUR MODEL’ The outcome quickly triggered sharp political reactions, particularly around the “Diamond Harbour model" associated with Abhishek Banerjee’s political turf.
BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya described the result as the “collapse of the Diamond Harbour model", alleging that voters had rejected years of “fear, violence and political intimidation". Leader of Opposition and Chief Minister-designate Suvendu Adhikari also hailed the result as proof that voters had exercised their franchise freely after years of alleged intimidation. He said Falta voters had exposed the “reality" once they got the opportunity to vote without fear. Union Home Minister Amit Shah called the victory a mandate for “progress and against the politics of fear". Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated Panda and said, “Democracy has won, and intimidation has lost." QUESTIONS OVER MINORITY VOTE SHIFT Political observers and analysts cited in reports pointed to a possible shift in voting patterns in the constituency, particularly among minority voters. Falta has around 30 per cent Muslim voters, and such constituencies had traditionally favoured the TMC because of consolidated minority backing along with sections of Hindu support. However, analysts suggested the equation appeared to have changed in the repoll. Political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty said the BJP’s massive vote share indicated near-total Hindu consolidation and also suggested that sections of minority voters may have shifted towards the CPI(M). The CPI(M)’s rise to nearly 20 per cent vote share in the constituency was also seen as politically significant, especially since the Left had long lost influence in the region. CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty claimed minorities were now looking for alternatives because they no longer viewed the TMC as capable of challenging the BJP effectively. TMC leader Kunal Ghosh, however, rejected the interpretation and maintained that one repoll could not establish a larger political trend.
The Falta repoll came only weeks after the BJP ended the TMC’s 15-year rule in West Bengal and secured a decisive mandate in the 2026 Assembly elections. With the Falta victory, the BJP’s tally in the Election Commission records rose to 208 seats in the 294-member Assembly. The Bengal election outcome significantly altered the state’s political landscape, with the BJP managing to convert years of aggressive campaigning and organisational expansion into electoral success. Even after the Assembly defeat, former chief minister Mamata Banerjee continued to allege that the elections were not conducted fairly. Addressing party workers on Sunday, she claimed the TMC had not genuinely lost the election and accused the Election Commission of helping the BJP. She also alleged “data hacking", voter suppression and intimidation during the electoral process. Banerjee further alleged that TMC workers and leaders were being targeted after the regime change and claimed thousands of party offices had been attacked or occupied. Despite those allegations, the Falta result reinforced the scale of the BJP’s momentum in Bengal and underscored the depth of the TMC’s setbacks in pockets once viewed as politically secure. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: May 25, 2026, 10:33 IST News india TMC Candidate Loses Deposit In Falta As BJP Sweeps Repoll, Result Adds To Party Woes In Bengal Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
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