Repolling Underway in West Bengal's Falta Assembly Constituency After Electoral Irregularities

Repolling was underway on Thursday across all 285 polling stations in the 144-Falta Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal , with polling beginning at 7 am and scheduled to continue until 6 pm on May 21. By 3 pm, the Election Commission said voter turnout had touched 74.10 per cent, with no untoward incident reported from anywhere in the constituency. The repoll was ordered after the Election Commission of India (ECI) countermanded the April 29 vote in Falta following allegations of serious electoral irregularities, including EVM tampering and other violations. Officials said the fresh poll was directed “on consideration of severe electoral offences and subversion of the democratic process during the polling in a large number of polling stations on April 29.” The counting of votes is scheduled for May 24 (Saturday). Security was significantly tightened for the repoll. Around 35 companies of central forces were deployed across the 285 booths, while 30 Quick Response Teams were placed on standby to respond to any disturbance. An election official said the atmosphere was peaceful through the morning, adding that long queues of voters had been seen outside booths since early hours. “This time, the polling has been peaceful. There is no untoward incident from anywhere in Falta. Long queues of voters were seen outside polling booths. Till 11 am, a voter turnout of 42.83 per cent has been registered. This is a good show,” the official told news agency PTI. The repoll in Falta comes against the backdrop of wider voting controversies in West Bengal’s 2026 Assembly elections, which were conducted in two phases on April 23 and April 29. Fresh polling was also held in 15 booths in Paschim Magrahat and Diamond Harbour constituencies, but Falta was the only seat where a complete re-election across all polling stations was ordered. The political contest in Falta was further complicated by the withdrawal of Trinamool Congress candidate Jahangir Khan from the race. Khan announced earlier this week that he was pulling out of the re-election, saying his decision was guided by a desire for peace and development in the constituency. “I am a son of Falta’s soil. I would want Falta to stay peaceful, healthy, and good. And I want more and more development for Falta. So let there be a Golden Falta, that was my dream. That’s why our Chief Minister is giving a special package for the development of Falta. For that reason, I am withdrawing myself from the upcoming repoll contest on May 21,” he said. When asked whether the decision was personal or directed by the party, Khan maintained that it was his own call. “I have answered many questions before. Today, what I had to say was that I have withdrawn from this contest. For the sake of the people of Falta, for the sake of Falta’s development, for the sake of maintaining peace in Falta,” he said. The Trinamool Congress later clarified that the withdrawal was personal and not a party decision, while alleging that its workers had come under pressure in the area after post-poll violence. The BJP, meanwhile, has continued to allege that the original polling was marred by manipulation and intimidation. Its candidate from Falta, Debangshu Panda, said the party had flagged irregularities at several booths, including attempts to tamper with EVMs and intimidation of voters. “We had petitioned for re-polling in the 150 booths where cello tape was put on the BJP symbol… They even rotated cameras in some of the booths… In Falta, the BJP will win by a margin of 1-1.5 lakhs votes…,” Panda said.