Trinamool Congress candidate for Falta Assembly seat Jahangir Khan withdraws from the contest

Trinamool Congress candidate from Assembly Falta seat Jahangir Khan. Photo Credit: Facebook/Jahangir Khan

Trinamool Congress candidate from Falta assembly seat Jahangir Khan on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) announced his withdrawal from the election contest ahead of the re-polling scheduled for May 21 in Parganas South 24 district of West Bengal.

“Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has announced a special package for the development of Falta. I am resigning from this election for the sake of development of Falta,” Mr Khan said at a press conference on Tuesday morning.

Although the official deadline for withdrawal of candidature or nominations has passed, the Trinamool Congress candidate’s name and party symbol will remain on the EVM even if Mr. Khan does not contest.

A Trinamool Congress statement said the decision taken by Mr Khan was his personal choice and not that of the party.

“We strongly condemn this. Our fight against Bangla Birodhi BJP will continue – both in West Bengal and Delhi,” the party said.

According to the Trinamool Congress, more than 100 of our party workers have been arrested in Falta constituency alone since the election results were announced on May 4.

“Several party offices have been vandalised, closed and forcibly captured in broad daylight through intimidation, while the EC continues to turn a blind eye despite repeated complaints. Despite such pressure, our workers remain rock-solid and continue to resist BJP’s intimidation unleashed through agencies and administration. However, some finally said they succumbed to the pressure and chose to take action.

The announcement of the appearance came on the last day of campaigning when Mr. Adhikari was holding a roadshow in the area in support of BJP candidate Debangshu Panda. Mr Adhikari said the Trinamool Congress candidate’s decision was because he was certain of defeat.

The Falta parliamentary election was held in the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections on 29 April. After widespread irregularities were reported, the Election Commission ordered a re-poll in the constituency for May 21.

After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the 2026 parliamentary polls, winning 207 of the 294 seats, Falta’s re-election will have no effect on the newly elected BJP government. However, the constituency has become a prestige battle for BJP leadership.

BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya and Mr. Adhikari campaigned for the BJP candidate. From the Trinamool Congress side, neither party president Mamata Banerjee nor party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee campaigned for Mr Khan.

During the campaign for the recently concluded parliamentary polls, Mr Khan grabbed headlines after a verbal exchange with IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma. Mr. Sharma, who earned the nickname “Singham” for his tough police work, allegedly threatened a family member of Mr. Khan during the campaign. The Trinamool leader replied, “This is Bengal; if he is ‘Singham’, I am ‘Pushpa’.”

VIDEO | South 24 Parganas: TMC leader Jahangir Khan said in a press conference:

“I am the son of Falta and I want Falta to be at peace and grow. Our CM Suvendu Adhikari is giving a special package for the development of Falta and that is why I am separating myself from… pic.twitter.com/R95Lw7DpHo

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 19, 2026

Published – 19 May 2026 15:28 IST