Why TMC’s Jahangir Khan Continued Getting Votes in Falta Despite Withdrawing From Race

As vote counting continued for the Falta Assembly constituency repoll in West Bengal, an unusual situation drew attention: Jahangir Khan continued receiving votes despite publicly announcing his withdrawal from the contest days before polling.

The repoll saw Debangshu Panda establish a sizeable lead, while Khan’s name still appeared on the official counting data, raising questions over why a candidate who had stepped aside was still in the race.

Khan had announced on May 19 that he was withdrawing from the election, citing development promises made by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. He said his decision was aimed at ensuring peace and development in Falta and described it as a move for the constituency’s future growth.

However, his announcement was political rather than legal.

Under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, candidates are allowed to formally withdraw nominations only within a specified deadline after scrutiny of nomination papers. Once that period expires, the final list of candidates becomes legally fixed and cannot be changed.

For the phase of polling that included Falta, the deadline for withdrawal had already passed weeks earlier. Since Khan announced his exit well after the statutory cut-off date, his name and party symbol could not be removed from the electronic voting machines.

The situation became more complex after the Election Commission of India ordered a fresh election across all booths in Falta following reports of serious electoral irregularities and violence. Election rules require repolls to proceed using the same candidate list and machine configuration as the original election process.

As a result, Khan’s name and the Trinamool Congress symbol remained on the ballot interface. Voters who selected his symbol — whether out of party loyalty, lack of awareness about his announcement, or other reasons — cast legally valid votes that were required to be counted.

The case highlighted the distinction between publicly stepping away from a contest and formally exiting the electoral process under election law.