After the fifth round of counting in the Falta Assembly constituency repolling, BJP candidate Debangshu Panda is ahead by 14,514 votes. The BJP candidate secured 30,562 votes, with CPI(M)’s Sambhunath Kurmi at 16,048 and Congress candidate Abdur Razzak at 3,510 votes. Trinamool Congress candidate Jahangir Khan is in fourth place with 1,685 votes after the fifth round of counting.
Altogether, there will be 21 rounds of counting, with the final result expected by 1 p.m. This marks the first time since the 2011 West Bengal Assembly elections that CPI(M) has surpassed Trinamool Congress in votes. Observers noted the unexpected outcome where even the Congress candidate surpassed the Trinamool Congress candidate in votes.
With the BJP candidate’s victory almost certain after the fifth round of counting, the ruling party’s total in the 294-seat West Bengal Assembly will be 208. Trinamool Congress will have 80 seats, followed by Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) and Congress with two each, and CPI(M) and All India Secular Front with one each. The counting process is being conducted under tight security measures.
As the BJP candidate’s lead widened, party workers began celebrating. The Trinamool candidate, Jahangir Khan, and his party agents were absent from the counting center. Khan had withdrawn from the race despite being in contention until the repolling was announced.
