Manikuntal Khamrai

Jahangir Khan, the TMC candidate who once compared himself to ‘Pushpa’ and later withdrew from the Falta Assembly repoll, still got 7,783 votes as BJP’s Debangshu Panda secured a landslide win in the constituency.

BJP candidate Debangshu Panda secured a resounding victory in the Falta repoll, defeating his nearest rival by 1.09 lakh votes, the highest margin in West Bengal Assembly polls and dealing another blow to the Trinamool Congress, which suffered a rout in the elections.

Polling started at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm across 285 polling stations, including auxiliary booths. Counting of votes has been scheduled for May 24.

Prince of Kolkata Sourav Ganguly is facing a fierce political bouncer, days after the BJP swept the Assembly polls in West Bengal. Ganguly's meeting with BJP's PN Pathak has triggered massive backlash. People are now attacking Ganguly over the visit and calling the 'Prince of Kolkata' "selfish and opportunist".

The Muslim vote bloc, almost taken for granted as rock solid by the 'secular' parties, delivered a shock departure from conventional behaviour in the just-concluded Bengal elections.

From 14 in 2021 to 54 seats in Bengal’s Presidency region, the BJP has flipped the script in Kolkata and surrounding areas and extended its reach beyond the tea garden districts, which have traditionally been its stronghold in North Bengal.

The electoral arithmetic of the 40 seats in Jungle Mahal could determine the trajectory of the Bengal elections and may impact the final seat tally.