Falta repoll: TMC's Jahangir Khan seeks anticipatory bail from Calcutta HC
Synopsis
With Falta’s repoll just days away, TMC candidate Jahangir Khan has rushed to the Calcutta High Court fearing arrest — and the sitting Chief Minister has publicly warned he will be ‘taken care of’ after voting. The bail petition lays bare the high-stakes political battle beneath a repoll ordered after EVMs were allegedly tampered with to disadvantage BJP candidates.
Key Takeaways
Jahangir Khan , TMC candidate for Falta Assembly , filed an anticipatory bail plea in the Calcutta High Court on 18 May .
Justice Saugata Bhattacharya admitted the petition; hearing is set for after 2 pm on Monday.
Khan alleges the police registered an FIR against him on fabricated charges and has sought disclosure of all FIRs filed against him.
The Election Commission of India ordered a full repoll in Falta after EVM buttons beside BJP candidates’ names were allegedly covered with white tape on 29 April .
Chief Minister Shuvendu Adhikari held a meeting in Falta on Saturday and warned Khan would be ‘taken care of’ after the repoll.
Repoll is scheduled for 21 May ; results will be declared on 24 May .
Jahangir Khan, the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate from the Falta Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, has moved the Calcutta High Court seeking anticipatory bail, fearing arrest ahead of the constituency's scheduled repoll on 21 May. A single-judge bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharya admitted the petition on 18 May, with the matter listed for hearing after 2 pm on Monday.
What Khan Has Alleged
In his anticipatory bail petition, Khan has claimed that the police lodged an First Information Report (FIR) against him on fabricated charges. He has additionally sought a court direction asking the state government to disclose the exact number of FIRs filed against him and the specific charges in each case. Khan has explicitly expressed apprehension of being taken into custody before polling day on 21 May.
The Political Context
Khan is widely described as a close associate of TMC general secretary and Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee. The timing of his bail petition is notable: West Bengal Chief Minister Shuvendu Adhikari held a meeting in Falta on Saturday, during which he reportedly took a pointed dig at Khan, stating that Khan would be ‘taken care of’ after the repoll concludes. The remark has added to the charged political atmosphere surrounding the constituency.
Why Falta Is Going to Repoll
Falta voted in the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections on 29 April. On that day, multiple complaints of electoral malpractice emerged, including reports that Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) buttons beside the names and symbols of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates were covered with white tape in several booths. Special poll observer Subrata Gupta — currently serving as an adviser to Chief Minister Adhikari — personally visited Falta and conducted a detailed investigation into the allegations.
Based on Gupta’s findings, the Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered a full repoll across the entire Falta constituency. This is a significant intervention: a constituency-wide repoll ordered by the ECI signals that the irregularities were deemed too widespread to be addressed through partial measures.
What Happens Next
The repoll is scheduled for 21 May, with results to be declared on 24 May. The Calcutta High Court will hear Khan’s anticipatory bail plea in the second half of Monday. How the court rules could directly affect whether Khan is free to campaign or oversee his party’s ground operations in the final hours before polling. The outcome of the repoll will be closely watched as a test of electoral integrity in one of West Bengal’s most contested constituencies this cycle.
Point of View
If executed, would dominate the narrative and potentially suppress the party’s ground mobilisation. Chief Minister Adhikari’s public warning at a Falta rally that Khan will be ‘taken care of’ post-repoll is unusually direct for a sitting CM, and raises questions about the use of state machinery in an active electoral contest. The ECI’s decision to order a full constituency-wide repoll — not a booth-level re-vote — signals that the original poll was compromised at scale. What mainstream coverage often underplays is that this repoll is itself a rare institutional rebuke, and the political pressure on both sides to control its outcome is correspondingly intense.
NationPress
2 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Jahangir Khan seeking anticipatory bail?
Khan, the TMC candidate for Falta Assembly, has filed an anticipatory bail petition in the Calcutta High Court fearing arrest before the repoll on 21 May. He alleges that an FIR has been lodged against him by the police on fabricated charges.
Why is Falta constituency going to repoll?
Falta voted in the West Bengal Assembly elections on 29 April, but the Election Commission of India ordered a full repoll after complaints that EVM buttons beside BJP candidates’ names and symbols were covered with white tape in several booths. Special observer Subrata Gupta investigated and his findings led to the ECI’s repoll order.
When is the Falta repoll and when will results be declared?
The repoll in Falta Assembly constituency is scheduled for 21 May. Results will be declared on 24 May.
What did Chief Minister Shuvendu Adhikari say about Jahangir Khan?
During a meeting in Falta on Saturday, Chief Minister Adhikari reportedly took a dig at Khan, stating that Khan would be ‘taken care of’ after the repoll is over. Khan is described as a close associate of TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
What has the Calcutta High Court done with Khan’s petition?
A single-judge bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharya admitted the anticipatory bail petition on 18 May. The matter is listed for hearing in the second half of Monday, after 2 pm.
