West Bengal's Falta constituency repoll sees 74% turnout and peaceful voting

A fresh election was held on May 21, 2026 in the Falta Assembly constituency of West Bengal after the Election Commission ordered a repoll following alleged irregularities in the April 29 vote, including missing CCTV footage, claims of voter intimidation and reports of possible EVM tampering.

Security was markedly increased, with about 35 companies of central armed forces deployed to the 285 polling stations, eight personnel from the Central Armed Police Force at each booth, and 30 quick‑response teams on standby. Additional monitoring measures included two web cameras inside every booth, one outside, live web‑casting and plans for drone surveillance.

By 3 p.m., more than 74 percent of the 236,000 registered voters – roughly 1.75  lakh – had cast their ballots, and the poll panel reported no incidents of violence or disturbance. Trinamool Congress candidate Jahangir Khan withdrew from the race, leaving the contest primarily between the BJP’s Debangshu Panda and other TMC candidates. The smooth conduct of the repoll is being watched closely as a test of the Election Commission’s response to the earlier allegations.