Kolkata: In a dramatic twist, Falta’s Trinamool Congress candidate Jahangir Khan on Tuesday withdrew from the May 21 repoll, a move that could virtually hand the BJP a walkover in the constituency.
While the TMC quickly distanced itself from Khan’s decision, calling it his “personal choice” and alleging a post-poll atmosphere of intimidation in Falta, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari mocked the
candidate for “running away”, claiming he quit after realising he would not even find polling agents on the ground.
Khan, who had become one of the most talked-about faces of the Falta campaign and cultivated a larger-than-life image around his self-styled ‘Pushpa’ persona of defiance, had repeatedly projected himself as someone who would not bend under pressure.
His sudden withdrawal, barely two days before polling, added another dramatic turn to a constituency already mired in allegations of electoral malpractice and political acrimony.
Khan said he made the decision keeping Falta’s interests in mind and claimed that the CM’s promise of a special development package for the constituency influenced his thinking. “I am the son of Falta, and I want the area to be at peace and grow,” Khan told a press conference.
“The CM has announced a special package for the development of Falta, which is why I have decided to move away from the re-polling process in the constituency,” he said. But while Khan cited development, his party swiftly distanced itself from his move.
The opposition TMC later said the withdrawal was entirely Khan’s “personal decision” and not that of the party, while alleging that a climate of intimidation had been created in Falta after the declaration of results on May 4.
“Since the election results were declared, more than 100 of our party workers have been arrested in Falta alone. Several party offices have been vandalised, shut down and forcibly captured in broad daylight,” the party alleged in a statement. “Even in the face of such pressure, our workers remain rock-solid and continue to resist BJP intimidation. However, some eventually succumbed to pressure and chose to step away from the field,” it added in an apparent reference to Khan.
Earlier, TMC spokesperson Arup Chakraborty had maintained that the party itself was caught off guard. “We have heard that Jahangir Khan has decided not to contest or participate in the Falta repoll. We are still not aware of the reason behind his withdrawal,” he said.
The statement only added to the intrigue around a candidate whose campaign had often blurred the line between political mobilisation and political theatre.
Sensing an opening, Adhikari launched a direct attack and sought to puncture Khan’s carefully cultivated image. “Where is self-styled Pushpa? He had no other way, as he won’t get a polling agent, so he decided to run away,” Adhikari said while campaigning in Falta.
