Pushpa only present in EVMs, TMC’s Falta bastion set for turn

Kolkata/Falta: For an assembly constituency that has long been a fortress for Trinamool, Falta is arriving at Thursday's repoll amid dramatically altered circumstances. On Tuesday, Trinamool candidate Jahangir Khan announced that he would not contest the election. By Wednesday, party functionaries conceded that TMC — which secured a lead of nearly 1.6 lakh votes in the constituency during the Lok Sabha election — was unlikely to have enough polling agents."Jahangir withdrew at the last hour. It is virtually impossible to make arrangements, especially at a time when several hundreds of our partymen are either under arrest with false cases or have fled from their homes," said a party senior.The reversal marks the culmination of weeks of political turmoil in Falta, the only constituency in Bengal where the EC ordered a repoll over allegations of large-scale malpractice. Khan had emerged as a central figure in the controversy after his public spat with UP-cadre police office Ajay Pal Sharma, popularly dubbed "Singham" by sections of the media, days before polling on April 29.A local TMC functionary who had served as a booth agent during the earlier election admitted there was little enthusiasm within the party ranks. "If the candidate himself withdraws, then for whom will we fight? Why should we risk our lives," he said.BJP candidate Debangshu Panda rejected allegations of intimidation. "Apart from me, Congress, CPM and two independent candidates are in the fray. Nobody has been stopped from appointing agents. TMC too will not face any obstruction. They have withdrawn because they are certain of defeat," he said.Saying that voters in Falta had lived in fear for years, CPM's Sujan Chakraborty said, "Even deploying polling agents was difficult. During the assembly bypoll, people could vote freely. If free voting is ensured, people will vote for us." The EC has deployed 35 companies of CAPF personnel across Falta's 285 polling booths, alongside 30 QRTs. Several political faces, including panchayat samiti vice-chairman Saidul Khan, have been arrested.