Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata
Kolkata, May 24: Counting of votes for the Falta Assembly constituency in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district began on Sunday morning at 8 a.m. under heavy security arrangements.
The repolling was conducted on May 21 following directives from the Election Commission of India. Officials said the counting process will take place in 21 rounds, with the final results expected to be clear by around 1 p.m.
According to sources in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, the counting is proceeding smoothly. Notably, Trinamool Congress counting agents were absent from the counting centre.
The party’s candidate, Jahangir Khan, had withdrawn from the contest shortly before the repoll on May 21. However, officials clarified that his name still appeared on the EVM during voting as the withdrawal came too late to be reflected in the system.
The repolling day itself passed peacefully, with voters reporting that they were able to cast their votes without intimidation or disruption. Voter turnout was notably high, exceeding 88 per cent.
The constituency saw a multi-cornered contest involving Debangshu Panda from the Bharatiya Janata Party, Shambhu Kurmi, and Abdur Razzak.
In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, Trinamool Congress candidate Shankar Kumar Nashkar had won the Falta seat by a margin of around 41,000 votes. The constituency falls under the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha seat, which has been represented multiple times by Abhishek Banerjee.
During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Falta segment reportedly gave a lead of nearly 1.2 lakh votes to Abhishek Banerjee, a result that opposition parties had previously criticised.
Earlier, the first phase of polling for the constituency was held on April 29, during which several complaints of irregularities were reported. Allegations included EVM-related issues and obstruction of voters at some booths, prompting protests in parts of the constituency.
Following an inquiry by a special poll observer, the Election Commission of India ordered a repoll across the entire constituency, leading to the fresh voting conducted on May 21.