BJP's Debangshu Panda wins Falta repoll by 1,09,021 votes; TMC finishes fourth
Synopsis
In a result that rewrites West Bengal's political record books, BJP's Debangshu Panda won the Falta repoll by over 1 lakh votes — while TMC, which had swept the seat in 2021 and handed Abhishek Banerjee a 1.2 lakh lead in 2024, finished fourth and lost its deposit for the first time in the party's history.
Key Takeaways
BJP 's Debangshu Panda won the Falta Assembly repoll on 24 May by 1,09,021 votes , polling 1,49,666 total.
TMC 's Jahangir Khan finished fourth with 7,783 votes — the first time a TMC candidate has placed fourth since the party's founding in January 1998 .
Both Congress and TMC candidates lost their deposits, the first such occurrence since 2011 .
The Election Commission of India had ordered the repoll after EVM tampering complaints and voter suppression allegations on 29 April .
BJP 's total tally in West Bengal now stands at 208 out of 294 Assembly seats.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Debangshu Panda won the Falta Assembly repoll in West Bengal by a landslide margin of 1,09,021 votes on Sunday, 24 May, delivering one of the most decisive verdicts in the constituency's recent electoral history. The result caps a dramatic reversal in a seat where the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) had dominated just four years ago.
Vote Tally and Final Standings
Panda polled 1,49,666 votes in total. Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate Sambhunath Kurmi finished second with 40,645 votes, while Congress candidate Abdur Razzak came third with 10,084 votes. TMC's Jahangir Khan ended a distant fourth with just 7,783 votes. Notably, both the Congress and TMC candidates lost their deposits — a significant marker of the scale of the BJP's sweep.
Two Historic Firsts in One Result
The Falta outcome is historically significant on two counts. It is the first time since the Trinamool Congress was founded in January 1998 that a TMC candidate has finished fourth in any election. It is also the first time since 2011 — when the Left Front's 34-year rule ended and TMC's current 15-year regime began — that a TMC candidate has had their deposit forfeited.
Why the Repoll Was Ordered
The original poll in Falta was held on 29 April during the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections. On that day, widespread electoral malpractice complaints emerged: EVM buttons corresponding to BJP candidates were reportedly covered with white tape at several polling booths, and hundreds of voters alleged they were prevented from casting their ballots, purportedly by supporters of TMC's Jahangir Khan. Special poll observer Subrata Gupta, who also serves as advisor to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, personally visited the constituency and conducted an inquiry. Based on Gupta's findings, the Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered a full repoll across the entire Falta constituency. The repoll was conducted on 21 May.
A Dramatic Swing from 2021 and 2024
The result stands in sharp contrast to Falta's recent electoral record. In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, TMC's Shankar Kumar Nashkar won the seat by a margin of approximately 41,000 votes. Falta falls under the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, which TMC general secretary and Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee has represented three times. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Falta segment gave Banerjee a lead of around 1,20,000 votes — a figure opposition parties had described as a mockery of the polling process.
BJP's Tally in West Bengal
With Panda's victory, the BJP's total seat count across West Bengal's 294 Assembly constituencies now stands at 208. TMC holds 80 seats, followed by Congress and the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) at 2 each, and CPI(M) and the All India Secular Front (AISF) at 1 each. The tally underscores a sweeping shift in the state's political landscape, with the BJP now commanding a commanding majority. How TMC responds — and whether it contests the result — will shape the next chapter of Bengal politics.
Point of View
Suggesting that the original April 29 poll was deeply compromised and that voters, when given a genuine choice, swung decisively. The deposit forfeiture is the most damning detail: it signals organisational collapse in a booth-level stronghold TMC once considered impenetrable. For the BJP, the 208-seat tally raises the question of governance capacity — a majority means accountability, and West Bengal's administrative machinery will now be tested against expectations, not just against TMC's record.
NationPress
5 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Falta Assembly repoll in West Bengal?
BJP candidate Debangshu Panda won the Falta Assembly repoll on 24 May 2025 by a margin of 1,09,021 votes, polling 1,49,666 votes in total. CPI(M)'s Sambhunath Kurmi finished second with 40,645 votes.
Why was the Falta repoll ordered by the Election Commission?
The Election Commission of India ordered a full repoll after widespread malpractice complaints on 29 April, including reports that EVM buttons for BJP candidates were covered with white tape and that voters were allegedly prevented from voting by TMC supporters. Special poll observer Subrata Gupta's inquiry findings prompted the ECI's decision.
What makes the Falta result historically significant?
It is the first time since TMC's founding in January 1998 that a TMC candidate has finished fourth in an election. It is also the first time since 2011 that a TMC candidate has had their deposit forfeited, marking a historic low for the ruling party in West Bengal.
How does the Falta result compare to earlier elections in the same seat?
In 2021, TMC's Shankar Kumar Nashkar won Falta by around 41,000 votes. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Falta segment gave TMC's Abhishek Banerjee a lead of approximately 1,20,000 votes. The 2025 repoll reversed that trend entirely, with BJP winning by over 1 lakh votes.
What is BJP's current seat tally in the West Bengal Assembly?
With Panda's victory, BJP now holds 208 of West Bengal's 294 Assembly seats. TMC has 80 seats, Congress and AJUP hold 2 each, while CPI(M) and AISF hold 1 each.
