Promise or pressure? Why TMC candidate Jahangir Khan withdrew from Falta repoll

NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Jahangir Khan from Falta withdrew his candidature on Tuesday, just days before the repolling for Falta was scheduled.In a press conference, he cited West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari's "special package" for Falta as the reason for him backing out."I am the son of Falta, and I want the area to be at peace and grow," he said. "The CM has announced a special package for the development of Falta, which is why I have decided to move away from the re-polling process in the constituency," he added.However, TMC gave its own clarification that Khan's decision was personal, while adding a jab that "some succumbed to pressure". "The decision taken by Jahangir Khan to withdraw from the Falta re-poll is his personal decision and not that of the party. Since the election results were declared on 4th May, more than 100 of our party workers have been arrested in Falta AC alone. Several party offices have been vandalised, shut down and forcibly captured in broad daylight through intimidation, while the EC continues to turn a blind eye despite repeated complaints," it said in a post on X."Even in the face of such pressure, our workers remain rock-solid and continue to resist the BJP’s intimidation unleashed through agencies and the administration. However, some eventually succumbed to the pressure and chose to step away from the field. We strongly condemn this. Our fight against the Bangla Birodhi BJP will continue- both in West Bengal and in Delhi," it further added.Meanwhile CM Adhikari took a sharp jibe at Jhangir's decision and said that he "ran away as he won't get any polling agent. Ead taken jabs on JahangirKhan before his exit too. Addressing a rally in Diamond Harbour, Adhikari had said, “Where is that Pushpa — the dacoit? He is not seen anywhere now. The National Human Rights Commission declared 19 persons as notorious criminals in 2021. Jahangir was one of them. Leave him to me. I will take care of him.”Repolling in Falta constituency was ordered after Election Commission cancelled the entire original voting across all 285 polling stations, citing “severe electoral offences and subversion of the democratic process.” In its statement, the commission said the decision followed reports of severe electoral offences and large-scale subversion of the democratic process during voting on April 29. Observer reports flagged multiple alleged irregularities, including electronic voting machine tampering, voter intimidation, and violations of polling norms. In several booths, ballot unit buttons were reportedly covered with black tape, obstructing the voting process. There were also allegations of unauthorised individuals entering polling stations and casting votes on behalf of others. Missing or inconsistent video footage further fuelled concerns over transparency.Repolling in now is scheduled for May 21, while the counting of votes will take place on May 24.