The BJP on Sunday gained a rerun ballot in West Bengal’s Falta meeting seat by a margin of 1.09 million votes. The seat was as soon as a stronghold of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), however the Congress slipped to fourth place and forfeited its safety deposit after its candidates didn’t put up a combat and introduced their “withdrawal” from the competition on the ultimate day of the marketing campaign. CPI(M) got here in second place.
Falta belongs to TMC deputy commander Abhishek Banerjee’s Diamond Harbor Lok Sabha constituency, giving him a lead of 168,000 votes within the 2024 meeting elections. Abhishek’s vote share in Falta in that election was 89%, however this time the celebration’s vote share has plummeted to three.7%.
Following the victory of BJP candidate Devansh Panda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to social media and stated, “The folks of Falta have spoken! Democracy has gained and intimidation is gone… This displays the unwavering religion of the folks of West Bengal within the BJP. Individuals have witnessed the excellent work of the West Bengal authorities throughout sectors and are decided to rejoice us much more. We salute the excellent work of the folks of the BJP Karyakartas throughout West Bengal. We’ll proceed working.” For the longer term progress of West Bengal. ”
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari took to social media and stated, “The notorious ‘Diamond Harbor’ mannequin has been changed by the TMC’s ‘har baar’ (everlasting defeat) mannequin. At the beginning, I bow my head to the people who find themselves the last word gods of Falta… We’ll repay this debt of yours via growth. We’re dedicated to constructing a golden Falta.”
Concentrating on the TMC and Abhishek Banerjee, the CM stated, “A criminal who was parachuted and hailed as a commander dedicated each conceivable crime… Consequently, he turned the final election right into a mockery, with TMC main by 1.5 million votes on this Lok Sabha constituency.” He stated the elections revealed “actuality” and that for the TMC, “a protracted journey of rejection lies forward”.
The notorious “Diamond Harbor” mannequin is now the “Grassroot Harbor” mannequin!!!
To start with, I bow my head to the Janata Janardhan Ganadevata of Falta for sending the Bharatiya Janata Celebration candidate Shri Devanshu Panda to Parliament with the good mission of re-electing the Falta Meeting seat. Consequently…
— Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) Might 24, 2026
After the outcomes had been introduced, Banerjee claimed there was a “clear discrepancy” between the tempo of vote relying on Sunday and Might 4. He added that developments since then had been “deeply alarming” and undermined “the very core of free and honest elections.”
“Right this moment’s Falta AC vote recount revealed obtrusive discrepancies. By 3:30 p.m., all 21 votes had been counted. On Might 4, at this level, solely two to 4 votes had been solid. This nation deserves an evidence from the ECI. Over 1,000 employees from Falta Regardless of being compelled to evacuate their properties up to now 10 days, the Election Fee continued to show a blind eye. Celebration places of work had been vandalized “in broad daylight despite the fact that the mannequin code of conduct was in place,” Banerjee stated, calling for accountability and an impartial CCTV audit of the counting course of.
Right this moment’s Falta AC vote recount revealed a obtrusive discrepancy. All 21 rounds had been accomplished by 3:30 pm right this moment. Till the identical time on Might 4, solely rounds 2 to 4 had been held. This nation deserves an evidence from the ECI.
Despite the fact that there are over 1000…
— Abhishek Banerjee (@abhishekaitc) Might 24, 2026
The vote counting befell at Diamond Harbor Girls’s Faculty. The ballot fee despatched 35 corporations of the Central Military to Falta for voting and relying on Might twenty first.
Abhishek is below surveillance.
The size of the TMC’s collapse is a warning sign for Mamata Banerjee’s successor Abhishek, who’s already going through criticism from throughout the celebration. It might additionally result in questions on his “Diamond Harbor Mannequin”, a governance and disaster administration technique that the TMC had claimed would distinguish its parliamentary constituency from different constituencies.
On Might 2, simply two days earlier than the outcomes had been introduced, Abhishek challenged the Bharatiya Janata Celebration management, saying 10 lifetimes wouldn’t be sufficient to “shake up” his Diamond Harbor mannequin. “Convey all that you’ve. I problem the entire Union of India. Come to Falta. Ship your strongest. Ship one in every of your godfathers from Delhi. If you happen to dare, compete in Falta.”
The TMC, as soon as identified for its grassroots organizational community, appears to be disintegrating at an unprecedented tempo now that it’s out of energy. Celebration insiders stated the Falta debacle – the celebration didn’t workers vote-counting facilities on Sunday and struggled to search out ballot employees to workers polling stations on Election Day – confirmed the celebration was dropping its grip on polling place-level management in areas that had been as soon as its stronghold.
Consequently, there’s a risk that there will probably be extra space for opposition events within the state. Elevating to the second place will probably be a giant increase for the CPI(M) and can give it the braveness to problem the TMC for its place because the No. 1 opposition celebration. The Congress, which completed in third place, may also really feel that it could have an opportunity to reverse years of decline in energy and rebuild its opposition.
