00:00Coming in TMC Falta candidate withdraws from the polls.
00:04Yes, two days ahead of re-polling in the Falta seat where TMC's candidate in Falta
00:11has now withdrawn. TMC Falta pick Jahangir Khan who has decided not to contest.
00:17Falta TMC pick that was accused of threatening voters.
00:21EVM tampering that was reported at Falta poll booths.
00:25BJP symbols were taped in Falta booth are the claims that were made by the BJP.
00:31Abhishek Banerjee loyalist Jahangir Khan who had openly threatened voters
00:36and remember all of that was caught on camera.
00:39Falta that was to witness re-polling but now in the very latest
00:42Jahangir Khan has pulled out of the polls.
00:45He has decided to not contest in the re-polling.
00:49Let me take this to my colleague Indrajit Kundu joining us on the broadcast
00:53with further details on what has led to Jahangir Khan's decision.
01:00Well, it's not really clear at this point in time as to what led to this decision
01:04but one thing is clear for sure.
01:07Jahangir Khan, the local strongman of the Trinamore Congress,
01:10somebody who has been under intense scrutiny and pressure
01:14given that a top cop from UP was placed to look after the law and order situation
01:20before the polls took place
01:23and now that re-polling is taking place
01:25and the entire political scenario in West Bengal has changed, Subhisha.
01:29May 4th, the results have come out
01:31and it is a new government, a BJP government which is in place.
01:35The Chief Minister is Shubhendu Adhikari.
01:37Even as we speak today, Shubhendu Adhikari is campaigning in Falta.
01:42The campaigning comes to an end this evening
01:44and just barely about 48 hours to go before re-polling takes place.
01:48In that background, the entire top brass of the Trinamore Congress
01:53has given Falta a miss.
01:56This was known as Abhishek Banerjee's stronghold.
02:00Falta, of course, comes within the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency
02:03and Jahangir Khan is known to be a very close aide
02:06of Trinamore Congress' second-in-command, Abhishek Banerjee.
02:10And we have not seen the Trinamore Congress' top brass campaigning at all in Falta.
02:17No campaign has happened, you know, for most of the time
02:22in the run-up to these re-polling.
02:24Even Jahangir Khan was not seen in Falta.
02:26There have been images that have come to us
02:29where we have seen how Jahangir Khan's office has been vandalized
02:33by angry mob.
02:34In that backdrop, it clearly seems that the Trinamore Congress
02:39on ground seems to be in a disarray as far as Falta is concerned.
02:43I'm sorry I'm having to interrupt you here.
02:46We have this latest response from Dilip Ghosh on Jahangir Khan's decision.
02:50Let's quickly listen in to what he's said.
03:03Let's go to the front of Falta for today's action campaign.
03:08It's going to be true that we don't even know a campaign today.
03:13What are the results of today's campaign campaign?
03:18You all know, you have to know the campaign campaign.
03:20Why are the benefits of the campaign campaign?
03:21There's no campaign campaign.
03:23It's not going to be a campaign campaign.
03:30There's no campaign campaign.
03:48That's the statement that has come in from Dilip Khosh.
03:51Let me take this back to my colleague Indrajeet Kundu who continues to stay with us on the
03:55broadcast.
03:56Well, Indrajeet, Jahangir Khan pulling out, not really surprising given the sort of
04:03embarrassment that the TMC has faced and how they have been defeated in these polls, but
04:10his track record in particular that now comes to the surface given how he has openly threatened
04:15voters and several times caught on camera for exercising such behaviour.
04:21But now here he is who has already accepted defeat before the repolling.
04:30Well, that's right.
04:31This is very, very crucial because Jahangir Khan is somebody who is known as a TMC strongman.
04:37In fact, the Falta seat belongs to the Trinamore Congress.
04:42You know, last time they had won it with a handsome margin of over a lakh.
04:46Over one and a half lakhs is what I'm told.
04:49So in this background, Falta, which was always, and Diamond Harbour or South 24 Pargana districts
04:54known as the Trinamore Congress bastion.
04:57It is the bastion of Abhishek Banerjee, the Trinamore Congress second in command.
05:01And Jahangir Khan is known to be very, very close to Abhishek Banerjee.
05:05And in the changed political scenario on the ground here in West Bengal, this is very,
05:10very crucial because Jahangir Khan, known as a local Trinamore strongman, there have
05:14been a lot of allegations against him of intimidation, of voter intimidation.
05:19And we've seen those visuals even before the elections that took place, you know, the
05:24Bengal assembly elections.
05:26There was a UP top cop, Ajaypal Sharma, who was placed there, who went to Jahangir Khan's house.
05:31He did, you know, give them an ultimatum that there should be no such intimidation tactic
05:36be used in this election.
05:38And then the election took place.
05:39And then there were complaints that were raised that there were, you know, cello tapes, there
05:44were tapes put on the button for the opposition candidate in Falta, following which the election
05:51commission took note and a repolling has been ordered.
05:55The repolling is scheduled for 21st of May.
05:58Today is the last day of campaigning, 19th of May, and the Chief Minister of West Bengal,
06:03in the new dispensation, the BJP government in West Bengal, with Shubhendu Adhikari at the
06:07helm.
06:08He has given ultimatum to all antisocials.
06:11He has given strict orders to the police to crack down on the law and order situation.
06:16In that backdrop, Shubhendu Adhikari right now is campaigning in Falta.
06:20Wilson.
06:20Wilson.
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