Falta by-election: BJP candidate Debangshu Panda has a huge lead, ahead by 21 thousand votes in the third round.

Kolkata, 24 May. Counting of votes for Falta Assembly by-election in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal began at 8 am on Sunday. After the third round of counting, BJP candidate Debangshu Panda has taken a huge lead with 21,583 votes. CPI(M) candidate Shambhunath Kurmi stood second with 7,346 votes while Congress candidate Abdur Razzaq Maula got 1,470 votes. Trinamool Congress candidate Jahangir Khan is running at fourth place with 1,062 votes.

Re-polling was held in Falta on May 21 on the instructions of the Election Commission of India. According to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, the counting of votes will be completed in a total of 21 phases and the final result is likely to be declared by 1 pm. The counting representative of Trinamool Congress was absent at the counting centre. TMC candidate Jahangir Khan had withdrawn his nomination just a day before the re-polling. However, he took part in the first phase of voting. In the re-polling held on May 21, more than 88 percent voting was recorded.

Voters reported that this was the first time that they were able to vote peacefully without any pressure, threats or hindrances. Tight security arrangements were made at all the polling stations. Falta assembly constituency falls under the Diamond Harbor Lok Sabha constituency, where TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has been a three-time MP. In the 2021 assembly elections, TMC’s Shankar Kumar Naskar had won here by a huge margin of 41,000 votes. In the current by-election, BJP has fielded Debangshu Panda, CPI(M) has fielded Shambhunath Kurmi and Congress has fielded Abdur Razzaq.

Strict security arrangements have been made at the counting venue. Candidates and workers of all three major parties are waiting for the results. If BJP wins this seat then it will be a big blow to the ruling TMC in West Bengal. Police and administration have deployed adequate forces to maintain peace around the counting centre. The official results will be declared after all 21 rounds of counting are completed by noon.