Jahangir Khan announced he would no longer contest elections ahead of the Falta repoll.
Khan had recently drawn attention for his “Pushpa” remark aimed at poll observer Ajay Pal Sharma.
The Falta repoll was ordered after the Election Commission of India cited serious electoral irregularities.
Trinamool Congress candidate for the Falta repoll, Jahangir Khan has announced on Tuesday that he will not contest any further elections. Khan is a close aide of TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee.
The Falta assembly constituency is part of the Diamond Harbour parliamentary constituency from where Banerjee is MP. In the run-up to the repoll no senior TMC leaders were seen campaigning in Falta.
TMC spokesperson Arup Chakraborty said the party has received information about Khan's decision, but is yet to get clarity on what prompted it.
"We have heard that Jahangir Khan has decided not to contest or participate in the Falta repoll," he told reporters.
West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya took a dig over the absence of senior TMC leaders asking where is Abhishek Banerjee. Similarly, newly appointed CM Suvendu Adhikari quipped, “Where is Pushpa?” while campaigning in Falta over the weekend.
‘Pushpa’ Jahangir Khan
Jahangir Khan issued a challenge to UP IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma, who was brought in as a poll observer. Sharma being an encounter specialist earned the moniker ‘Singham’. After Sharma went to Khan’s house to warn his family members against voter intimidation, Khan responded by saying “If he is Singham, then I am Pushpa.”
Banerjee had also issued a warning through an X post ahead of the May 4 results saying that the ‘’Bangla Birodhi Gujarati gang” could not put an end to his Diamond Harbour Model. He even went as far as to call Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar as a ‘stooge’.
Falta Repolls
The Election Commission of India ordered repolls to be held in the Falta assembly constituency citing severe electoral offences and subversion of the democratic process.
Multiple cases of voter intimidation were reported across booths in Falta. Actions such as blocking opposition candidates’ names on EVMs with tape were also recorded. Inadequate CCTV footage also made it impossible to verify the fairness of the polling process in Falta. The repolls are scheduled to be conducted on May 21.
