"Falta repoll counting exposes glaring inconsistencies": Abhishek Banerjee questions ECI after BJP's win

BJP candidate Debangshu Panda secured a big win on the Falta seat, taking the party's tally to 208 seats in the state assembly. Panda recorded a massive win with a margin of 1,09,021 votes against Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate Sambhu Nath Kurmi. Falta underwent re-polling on May 21, as irregularities were reported during the 2nd phase of polling in the assembly segment on April 29.

Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday alleged vandalism of party offices, and workers "forced to flee" as the BJP recorded a big win in re-polling in Falta Assembly constituency. BJP candidate Debangshu Panda secured a big win on the Falta seat, taking the party's tally to 208 seats in the state assembly. Panda recorded a massive win with a margin of 1,09,021 votes against Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate Sambhu Nath Kurmi. Falta underwent re-polling on May 21, as irregularities were reported during the 2nd phase of polling in the assembly segment on April 29.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Jahangir Khan was placed fourth in the contest. In a statement on X, Banerjee alleged that the Election Commission took no action against the alleged flouting of the Model Code of Conduct in Falta, and sought an explanation from the poll body.

Banerjee wrote, "The Falta AC repoll counting today exposes glaring inconsistencies. By 3:30 pm in the afternoon today, all 21 rounds were completed. On 4th May, till the same time, only 2- 4 rounds had taken place. The country deserves an explanation from the ECI. Although more than 1000 workers from Falta have been forced to flee their homes in the last 10 days, the Election Commission continued to turn a blind eye. Party offices were vandalised in broad daylight even when the Model Code of Conduct was in force." He again flagged West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal's appointment as the Chief Secretary. He expressed concerns over the counting of votes in Falta, questioning the credibility of the mandate.

The TMC leader said, "The Election Commission has taken no action. Instead, the CEO, who was allegedly used by the ECI to delete names under the guise of SIR and manipulate the electoral process, was appointed Chief Secretary of the new WB government at a time when the Model Code of Conduct was still in force in Falta, and the polling process had not even been completed." "Even more worrying, counting agents of Trinamool and other political parties, except the BJP, were allegedly thrown out of the venue on May 4th by officials and central forces deployed under the Election Commission of India. This is deeply alarming and strikes at the heart of free and fair elections. Unless compromised officials are held accountable and an independent CCTV audit of the counting process is conducted, questions over the credibility of the mandate will only grow stronger. The truth cannot be suppressed forever," the post read.

Polling for the re-election in the constituency was held on May 21 under heavy security and recorded an approximate voter turnout of 88.13 per cent as per the Election Commission of India (ECI). Security remained tight in and around Diamond Harbour Women's University, the counting centre, with personnel deployed in large numbers to ensure the counting process remained smooth and peaceful. (ANI)