‘Diamond Harbour Model’ crumbles? Abhishek Banerjee aide Jahangir Khan exits Falta repoll

The development comes months after the TMC suffered a crushing defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections, where the party was routed by the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Jahangir, considered a controversial close aide of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, backed Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s promise of development while announcing his withdrawal.

“I have always dreamt of a prosperous Falta. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is giving a special package for the constituency so I have decided to withdraw from the repolling,” Jahangir said.

His exit has reshaped the contest involving the BJP, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Indian National Congress.

Taking a dig at Abhishek Banerjee, BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya wrote on X, "What happened to the infamous “Diamond Harbour Model”? Did the model collapse the moment voters were finally given a fair chance to speak?"

The withdrawal came days after the TMC leadership reportedly distanced itself from Jahangir’s campaign, while Adhikari actively canvassed for BJP candidate Debangshu Panda.

Jahangir’s decision also triggered a memefest online, with social media users mocking his earlier comparison of himself with Pushpa Raj, the popular character played by Allu Arjun.

Reacting to the development, TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh questioned whether fear tactics were involved.

“First, we have to check whether the BJP along with ECI and other agencies had created an atmosphere of fear or not,” Ghosh said before adding, “But why would someone who calls himself ‘Pushpa’ succumb to fear?”

He also remarked that since Falta falls under Abhishek Banerjee’s “Diamond Harbour Model”, the TMC national general secretary would be best suited to comment on the development.

Later in an official statement, the party said, "The decision taken by Jahangir Khan to withdraw from the Falta re-poll is his personal decision and not that of the party."

"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 BJP will continue- both in West Bengal and in Delhi."

The Calcutta High Court on Monday had ordered “no coercive action” against Jahangir till May 26 in connection with pending FIRs, allowing him to contest the repoll.

The repoll was ordered after widespread allegations of attempts to rig voting surfaced during polling on April 29.

Jahangir had earlier called himself “Pushpa” after IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma, often referred to as ‘UP’s Singham’, warned him against allegedly intimidating voters.