The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) marked a significant moment as their candidate, Debangshu Panda, took the lead in the Falta Assembly constituency after 19 rounds of counting. With 21 rounds in total, the BJP candidate secured 1,37,473 votes by the 19th round, signaling a shift in voter support towards the BJP in West Bengal. This trend was attributed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and the influence of Suvendu Adhikari.
BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari shared a video on social media capturing the jubilant celebrations of BJP supporters, waving flags and cheering as Debangshu Panda maintained a lead over other candidates. The victory was seen as a collapse of the “Diamond Harbour Model” associated with the Trinamool Congress, with growing support for the BJP evident in the region. The repoll in Falta, part of the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, witnessed a high voter turnout under strict security measures.
The Trinamool Congress candidate, Jahangir Khan, remained in the fourth position with only 5,914 votes, showcasing a stark contrast to previous election results in Falta. In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls, Shankar Kumar Nashkar of the Trinamool Congress had won by a significant margin in Falta, a constituency under the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha segment. Abhishek Banerjee, a prominent figure in the Trinamool Congress and Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, has been a three-time representative of the Diamond Harbour seat.
