West Bengal elections 2026: Why Falta matters as a key battleground in South 24 Parganas - Read
West Bengal elections 2026: Falta has emerged as a crucial battleground in South 24 Parganas in the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026. This comes after ECI announced that repolling will be conducted across all 285 polling stations in the Falta assembly constituency on May 21.
by Zee Media Bureau · Zee NewsWest Bengal elections 2026: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday announced that repolling will be conducted across all 285 polling stations in the Falta assembly constituency on May 21. Notably, the counting of votes is scheduled on May 24. This came following reports of "severe electoral offences and subversion of the democratic process" during the second phase of polling on April 29.
Also read: Assembly Elections Results 2026 Live Updates: All eyes on counting tomorrow in 4 states and 1 UT
Falta seat and repolling significance
Falta has emerged as a crucial battleground in South 24 Parganas in the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026, not just because of electoral arithmetic but due to the developments surrounding the constituency.
The decision of ECI to conduct a complete repoll across all 285 polling stations highlights the seriousness of the situation, placing Falta at the centre of a major political storm.
The poll body announced that fresh polls shall be conducted in all polling stations, "including Auxiliary polling stations," from 7 AM to 6 PM on May 21, while the votes will be counted on May 24, according to news agency ANI.
Amid an already intense contest in West Bengal, such a repoll in an entire Assembly constituency could be seen as a significant move, underlining the high stakes of the election.
Falta protests
Meanwhile, earlier, locals also staged a protest in the Falta area of the South 24 Parganas district, alleging threats and intimidation by Trinamool Congress (TMC) cadre.
Diamond Harbour and Magrahat Paschim repolling
Repolling across 15 polling stations in the South 24 Paraganas district concluded with the two constituencies (Diamond Harbour and Magrahat Paschim) hitting a staggering voter turnout of 90 per cent.
The repolling, which followed the directions from the ECI after BJP's co-incharge of West Bengal, Amit Malviya, alleged that voters were prevented from choosing the party candidate at several polling booths in Falta under the Diamond Harbour constituency during phase two of the Assembly elections in the State.
West Bengal exit polls 2026
Most exit polls have predicted a BJP ousting the TMC government led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal, who has been in power for the last 15 years.
Chanakya Strategies projected the BJP winning 150-160 seats in 294 West Bengal assembly and getting a majority of its own. It said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) would win 30-40 seats and others six to 10 seats.
West Bengal election 2026 voter turnout
The state achieved its highest voter turnout since independence, reaching a historic 91.66 per cent during Phase II of the elections.
According to the ECI, poll participation in West Bengal (Phase-II) stood at 91.66 per cent till 7:45 pm. In phase I of the elections on April 23, the poll participation was 93.19 per cent, resulting in a staggering combined poll percentage over the two phases at 92.47 per cent.
Meanwhile, the vote counting for the 293 constituencies of West Bengal is scheduled for Monday (May 4). Moreover, counting of votes for Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry will also be conducted tomorrow.
(with ANI inputs)