BJP's Massive Falta Victory Delivers Crushing Blow To TMC, Deepens Party Woes In Bengal

Last Updated:May 25, 2026, 10:34 IST

The BJP's sweeping victory in Falta has dealt a major blow to the TMC, with the party’s candidate losing his deposit in a constituency once considered a TMC stronghold.

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s emphatic victory in the Falta Assembly repoll has triggered a fresh political debate in West Bengal, with the Trinamool Congress suffering a stunning collapse in a constituency it had held since 2011.

The most striking aspect of the result was not merely the BJP’s massive winning margin, but the fact that the TMC candidate from the constituency finished fourth and lost his deposit in a seat once considered part of the party’s organisational stronghold.

The repoll in the South 24 Parganas constituency was held after the Election Commission cancelled the earlier election conducted on April 29 following allegations of irregularities and ordered fresh polling across all 285 booths.

The re-election, conducted under heavy security, recorded around 88.13 per cent voter turnout.

BJP REGISTERS LANDSLIDE WIN

BJP candidate Debangshu Panda secured 1,49,666 votes and more than 71 per cent vote share in Falta, defeating CPI(M) candidate Sambhu Nath Kurmi by a margin of 1,09,021 votes.

Kurmi polled 40,645 votes, while Congress candidate Abdur Razzak Molla came third with 10,084 votes.

The biggest setback, however, was for the TMC. Its nominee, Jahangir Khan, managed only 7,783 votes and forfeited his deposit after slipping to fourth position.

The result marked a dramatic reversal from previous elections.

In the 2021 Assembly polls, the TMC had won the seat with nearly 57 per cent vote share, while the BJP had secured around 36.75 per cent.

Two years later, during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Falta segment had reportedly given TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee a lead of around 1.68 lakh votes under the Diamond Harbour parliamentary constituency.

Political observers said the repoll outcome reflected a sharp realignment in Bengal politics, particularly in constituencies with sizeable minority populations.

MINORITY VOTE SHIFT AND HINDU CONSOLIDATION

Falta has around 30 per cent Muslim electorate, and such constituencies had traditionally favoured the TMC due to a combination of minority consolidation and support from sections of Hindu voters, especially women and welfare beneficiaries.

However, analysts believe the repoll indicated that this formula may no longer be holding.

Political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty said the BJP’s huge vote share pointed towards near-total Hindu consolidation, while sections of minority voters appeared to have shifted towards the CPI(M).

“The BJP’s massive vote share pointed to near-total Hindu consolidation and also a section of minority votes with clear indications that a large section of minority voters have shifted to the CPI(M), from where it came to TMC in 2011," he said.

The CPI(M)’s rise to nearly 20 per cent vote share was also viewed as politically significant.

Over the last decade and a half, minority votes in Bengal had steadily moved from the Left to the TMC, becoming one of the pillars behind Mamata Banerjee’s rise to power in 2011.

But the 2026 Assembly election results across the state suggested that sections of those votes may now be fragmenting among the CPI(M), Congress, ISF and smaller outfits.

CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty claimed minority voters were now looking for alternatives because they no longer viewed the TMC as capable of challenging the BJP.

The TMC, however, rejected the interpretation.

Party leader Kunal Ghosh maintained that one repoll could not be treated as evidence of a wider shift in minority voting patterns.

‘DIAMOND HARBOUR MODEL’ UNDER ATTACK

The Falta verdict has also intensified the BJP’s attack on what it calls the ‘Diamond Harbour model’ associated with Abhishek Banerjee.

BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya described the result as the “collapse of the Diamond Harbour model", alleging that voters had rejected “fear, violence and political intimidation" in the region.

He also targeted Abhishek Banerjee over remarks made during the campaign and claimed the result had punctured the TMC’s aura of organisational invincibility in the area.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also hailed the BJP’s victory, calling it “Bengal’s final decree for progress and against the politics of fear".

Congratulating Panda and the West Bengal BJP leadership, Shah said the verdict reflected public support for the BJP’s governance agenda.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi too reacted to the result, saying, “People of Falta have spoken! Democracy has won, and intimidation has lost."

He said the result reflected the “unwavering faith" of West Bengal’s people in the BJP.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari termed the outcome proof that people had voted freely after years.

He alleged that the TMC had converted itself into a “mafia company" during its years in power and claimed the Falta result was only the beginning of a broader political rejection of the party.

TMC QUESTIONS REPOLL PROCESS

The TMC, meanwhile, questioned the credibility of the repoll process. Abhishek Banerjee, who stayed away from campaigning during the repoll, alleged irregularities in counting and accused the Election Commission of failing to address complaints related to intimidation and electoral misconduct.

Former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also renewed allegations that the BJP’s victory in Bengal was aided by the Election Commission.

Speaking after the Falta result, she claimed the Assembly elections were not conducted fairly and alleged large-scale irregularities in the electoral process.

She also accused the BJP government in the state of targeting TMC workers and leaders after assuming power and alleged that several party offices had been taken over.

The Falta result came just weeks after the BJP ended the TMC’s 15-year rule in West Bengal in the 2026 Assembly elections.

With the victory, the BJP’s tally in the 294-member Assembly rose to 208 seats, further consolidating its position in the state.

The broader Assembly election had already indicated a major shift in Bengal’s political landscape, with the BJP emerging as the dominant force after years of expansion in the state.

The Falta repoll has now added another layer to that transformation, particularly because the constituency was once considered politically secure for the TMC.

Political observers say the outcome may ultimately be remembered not merely as a local electoral defeat for the TMC, but as a sign of a deeper restructuring underway in West Bengal’s political landscape.

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