After 10th round of Falta counting, BJP candidate's lead rises to 38,940 votes; CPI(M) in 2nd position
Kolkata, May 24
With 11 more rounds of counting for the repolling of Falta Assembly constituency in the South 24 Parganas of West Bengal yet to be completed, the lead margin of the Bharatiya Janata Party's candidate, Debangshu Panda, has already increased to 38,940 votes.
In total, there will be 21 rounds of counting, and the votes polled by the BJP candidate at the end of the 10th round of counting were 64,238.
On the other hand, at the end of the 10th round of counting, the CPI(M) candidate, Sambhunath Kurmi, has consolidated his second position by securing 25,298 votes.
The Congress party candidate, Abdur Razzak, is in the distant third position, securing just 6,429 votes.
Maintaining the same trend since the beginning of the counting at 8 a.m. on Sunday, the Trinamool Congress candidate Jahangir Khan has maintained the fourth position, securing just 3,304 votes.
The trend on Sunday is a complete study in contrast to the results in Falta, both in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls as well as in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, the Trinamool Congress' Shankar Kumar Nashkar was elected by a margin of 41,000 votes from Falta, which is one of the seven Assembly constituencies under the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency.
Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool Congress' general secretary and Mamata Banerjee's nephew, has represented the Diamond Harbour seat three times.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Falta Assembly constituency gave Banerjee a lead margin of around 1,20,000 votes, which opposition parties described as a mockery of the polling process.
"Abhishek Banerjee often took pride in his Diamond Harbour model. Now the real face of that model has been revealed. Sunday's trend also reveals the secrets behind Abhishek Banerjee's victory -- an unthinkable margin of over 7,00,000 votes from Diamond Harbour in 2024, with Falta giving the maximum lead," said a state BJP leader.
At the time the report was filed, there was no reaction from any of the opposition parties, including Trinamool Congress, CPI(M) and Congress, to the trends.
— IANS
Reader Comments
I'm a Bengali and this is surprising but not shocking. The TMC has been taking people for granted for too long. But let's wait for all rounds - anything can happen in West Bengal politics! CPI(M) coming second shows old loyalties haven't died completely.
It's good to see democracy in action. However, I hope this is not a one-off case due to repolling and reflects genuine voter sentiment. The 2021 margin of 41,000 for TMC was huge. A complete reversal like this needs scrutiny. Let's wait for official results and any court challenges.
This is a big lesson for Mamata Banerjee. The TMC's arrogance in the Diamond Harbour seat, where Abhishek Banerjee always won by massive margins, has backfired. But I want to know why repolling was needed in the first place? Was there rigging or violence? The ECI should explain clearly.
As an outsider living in India, this is fascinating. The political landscape in West Bengal is so dynamic. BJP rising sharply, TMC falling to fourth place - it's almost like a different state. Though I'm skeptical about this being only about repolling; usually such drastic swings need context.
I am not a BJP supporter but one has to admit that this trend is eye-opening. The Opposition parties have been shouting about rigging in Diamond Harbour for years. Let's see if this translates into more seats in future elections. But I worry about the violence that might follow if TMC
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