NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission on Saturday following the announcement of fresh polling in the Falta assembly constituency. This decision arose amid reports of “severe electoral offences and subversion of the democratic process” during the second phase of polling on April 29.
In response to BJP leader Amit Malviya’s remarks on social media, Banerjee, representing Diamond Harbour, challenged the “Bangla Birodhi Gujarati gang” to contest in Falta. “Ten lifetimes won’t be enough for your gang and their stooge Gyanesh Kumar to make a dent in my DIAMOND HARBOUR MODEL. Bring everything you have got. I challenge the entire Union of India—Come to Falta,” he stated in a post on X. He further urged the BJP to “send your strongest” candidates, implying the need for significant opposition to compete in Falta.
The Election Commission has scheduled a repoll in Falta for May 21, with counting set for May 24. Malviya had earlier claimed that several polling booths in Falta were manipulated to prevent voters from choosing the party candidate. Allegations included the defacement of voting buttons with black masking tape and ink at 60 of 285 polling stations—accounting for 21% of the constituency—impacting 53,967 voters, or 22.8% of the 2.36 lakh electorate.
The Election Commission stated that these incidents compromised the integrity of recorded votes, making it challenging to ascertain the accurate mandate, and noted gaps in video footage that suggested further tampering might have occurred in Falta. This situation marks the first time in West Bengal that an entire assembly constituency will be subject to polling following the declaration of results, a precedent previously seen only in Bihar. The EC reported that inquiries into complaints revealed widespread tampering of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at multiple booths.
Tensions have escalated in Hasimnagar, a locality within Falta, where residents accused associates of TMC candidate Jahangir Khan of making threats. Police observer Ajaypal Sharma, a Deputy Inspector General overseeing the Diamond Harbour subdivision, was dispatched to the area amid complaints of police inaction, and security measures were increased with the deployment of state police and central forces. The Election Commission subsequently ordered the arrest of two aides of Khan, Izrafil Chokdar and Sujauddin Sheikh. The countermanding of the election results in Falta shifts the focus to the other remaining seats that will determine the formation of the next government.
