‘Pushpa’ bows: TMC’s Falta strongman Jahangir Khan ‘withdraws’ candidature before repoll
TMC leader says he is not in the race as CM Suvendu Adhikari has promised a “special package” for the constituency, party says decision his own.
The TMC’s Falta candidate Jahangir Khan said he was “withdrawing” his candidature as Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had promised a “special package” for the constituency. (Credits: Facebook/ Jahangir Khan) “We will not bow to him. This is Bengal; if he is ‘Singham’, I am ‘Pushpa’. No amount of threat or coercion by the BJP-appointed police officials from Uttar Pradesh will be allowed in Falta,” Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Jahangir Khan thundered late last month, a day after Uttar Pradesh police officer Ajay Pal Sharma arrived at his home in Falta in West Bengal’s Diamond Harbour area looking for him.
Khan had gained notoriety for allegedly using coercion to ensure his writ runs large in the Assembly segment that gave TMC second-in-command Abhishek Banerjee a lead of over 1 lakh votes in the 2024 Assembly elections. However, a month later, as Falta is set to go for a repoll on May 21 — the Election Commission (EC) ordered repolling following widespread irregularities in polling on April 28 — the political landscape in the state has undergone a complete change. And so has Khan, it seems.
The TMC’s Falta candidate on Tuesday said he was “withdrawing” his candidature as Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had promised a “special package” for the constituency. According to the polling rules, Khan cannot withdraw his candidature as the deadline for withdrawing nomination has passed. However, following the announcement, the TMC is not expected to put up much fight and locals expect the contest to be between the BJP’s Debangshu Panda and CPI(M) nominee Shambhu Kurmi.
In a statement, the TMC said Khan’s decision was his own and not that of the party. “Since the election results were declared on May 4, more than 100 of our party workers have been arrested in Falta AC alone. Several party offices have been vandalised, shut down, and forcibly captured in broad daylight through intimidation, while the EC continues to turn a blind eye despite repeated complaints. Even in the face of such pressure, our workers remain rock solid and continue to resist the BJP’s intimidation unleashed through agencies and the administration. However, some eventually succumbed to the pressure and chose to step away from the field. We strongly condemn this. Our fight against the ‘Bangla Birodhi (anti-Bengal)’ BJP will continue, both in West Bengal and in Delhi.”
The decision taken by Jahangir Khan to withdraw from the Falta re-poll is his personal decision and not that of the party.
Since the election results were declared on 4th May, more than 100 of our party workers have been arrested in Falta AC alone. Several party offices have…
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) May 19, 2026
Khan’s comments came around the time Adhikari was addressing a road show in Falta. Minutes before the road show, Adhikari targeted the TMC candidate, saying, “A dacoit resides here whose name is Jahangir Khan. I will take necessary action against him after this election.” The CM announced that his government would give jobs to the families of people killed in the 2021 post-poll violence. “Where is the 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.
“Several people try to be ‘Pushpa’ but ‘Pushpa’ was a ‘phusss (flop)’ this time. So, all these ‘Pushpa’ and their boss, there used to be photos in Diamond Harbour stating ‘AB jhukega nahi’. Everyone is bending now. AB’s agent has bent now; AB will too in the time to come. Don’t worry,” Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar told reporters.
#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal: On TMC candidate Jahangir Khan withdrawing his candidature ahead of repoll in Falta, Union MoS Sukanta Majumdar says, “Several people try to be ‘Pushpa’ but ‘Pushpa’ was a ‘phusss’ (flop) this time. So, all these ‘Pushpa’ and their boss – there used… pic.twitter.com/PhbiMlRbft
— ANI (@ANI) May 19, 2026
Who is Jahangir Khan?
Khan’s rivals accuse him of having ruled Falta through force and intimidation over the past decade and more. Born in a family of CPI(M) leaders — his father, the late Akbar Khan, and elder brother Salim Khan were known Left leaders in the area — Khan started his political journey with the Left party and later started an embroidery business.
As the TMC went from strength to strength, and following the Singur and Nandigram movements, appeared poised to end Left rule, Khan moved to the Mamata Banerjee-led party before the 2008 panchayat elections. At the moment, he was close to TMC leader Bhaktaram Mondal. In that election, Khan was elected the pradhan of the Belsingha-II gram panchayat.
Falta, which has an almost equal population of Hindus and Muslims, had never witnessed the extended dominance of any one party since 1952. However, with the rise of Abhishek Banerjee, Tamonash Ghosh, among the TMC’s earliest leaders and a former Falta MLA, fell out of favour with the party leadership and was replaced by Khan.
In 2023, Khan became a Zila Parishad member. By then, he had sidelined all existing TMC leaders such as his former leader Mondal and Ghosh, who were very close to Mamata Banerjee. Ghosh died during the Covid pandemic and Mondal joined the BJP. With Falta left to him, Khan and his brother-in-law Saidul Islam took control of the area and no one dared to stand up to them, their political rivals alleged. All that has changed now.
Share
