Bharatiya Janata Party, on winning Falta as it emerged from its contest with rival Debangshu Panda by a landslide of over one lakh votes.
The landslide also raised the profile of the BJP in West Bengal and gave it a greater sense of political buoyancy as it heads into the tougher run-up. Debangshu Panda sprinted to completion as counted out, and led the first count stage.
The BJP workers, supporters, and other party factions cheered the official results, which party leaders said reflected the public's confidence that the BJP had made progress. But the Falta repoll had already been under heavy political fire after earlier polling scandals and a hard-headed campaign by large political parties.
The BJP had been running in the constituency, hell, it had been running furiously, on everything from corruption to development to unemployment to law and order. Major party leaders conducted several rallies to get a coalition with the electorate.
The BJP leadership, when the vote was won, called the victory a “historic mandate,” arguing that the people of Falta had spurned the ruling establishment in favour of a new order that had some semblance of accountability to it. Debangshu Panda also thanked his people for their unconditional support and said he would focus on strengthening the constituency and respond promptly to public complaints.
The result should further boost a politically defiant attitude in West Bengal, where the BJP has been trying to expand its organisational resources and ensure that the impact in the short run matches that of the local rival. The enormous margin might embolden BJP cadres in every state, political analysts say, and determine politics for some time ahead.
BJP denies the accusations it has received of misbehaving and attacks on its campaign mechanisms as being attributed to the opposition parties, and notes that there has been a popular vote.
This disaster could have been avoided due to extremely high security patrols at the counting centres at the time results were announced. This is something the BJP has won on, and it has also firmly secured Falta for a landmark victory not merely on the floor, but rather solidifying this very high-profile presence in West Bengal.
