Politics

Bengals Falta election: How Jahangir Khan of Trinamool, who backed out before repoll, is still getting votes as per EC

As the Election Commission of India (ECI) counted the votes for the Falta assembly constituency repoll in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Jahangir Khan continued to accumulate votes on the official results portal. And that’s despite Jahangir Khan publicly announcing withdrawal from the election contest earlier this week.

The BJP’s Debangshu Panda was leading by a large margin after more than half the votes had been counted just after noon on May 24. Panda was getting 67% of the total votes. Sambhu Nath Kurmi of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was in second place with around 23% votes, followed by Abdur Razzak Molla of the Congress at around 6%.

The TMC’s Jahangir Khan, who did not even cast his own vote in the repoll on may 21, was at over 3% despite his political exit from the contest.

Why Jahangir opted out

Jahangir Khan had announced his withdrawal from the election on May 19, just two days prior to the re-voting. He cited among his reasons the developmental promises made by Suvendu Adhikari, the new chief minister, Bengal’s first from the BJP after the party defeated an entrenched TMC.

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, said Khan, 41, a prominent Muslim businessman and political face in a Hindu-majority state where about third of the population is Muslim.

Not seeking to confront the Centre’s ruling BJP that had finally wrested power in Bengal, he explained at a press briefing, I am the son of Falta, and I want the area to be at peace and grow… I dreamt that Falta should become ‘sonar’ (golden) Falta. I am stepping aside to ensure peace and prosperity for Falta and for its people.

After Khan described his exit as a step toward the region’s growth, the TMC issued a clarification stating that the withdrawal was his personal decision and not authorised by the party.

Bengal has seen poll-related violence as the 15-year rule of Mamata Banerjee-led TMC ended with the results of 293 of the 294 assembly seats announced on May 4.

Falta was marked for repolling after reports of widespread pre-poll and voting-day violence, mainly by BJP supporters. Khan and IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma, deputed as a police observer by the EC, had a face-off too as voters alleged the TMC cadres were putting black te on other names on the EVM.

Why he remained on EVM

But Khan’s public exit from the contest, after the May 4 results showed the BJP was anyway in power, was essentially a political announcement.

According to Section 37 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, a candidate is legally permitted to withdraw their nomination only up to a strictly specified deadline following the initial scrutiny of pers. Once that timeline expires, the final list of contesting candidates is legally locked.

For Phase 2 of the West Bengal assembly elections, which included the Falta constituency, the last date for the withdrawal of candidatures was ril 13. Because Jahangir Khan announced his decision to step away on May 19, weeks after this statutory deadline, his name and symbol could not legally be removed from the ballot.

After the EC ordered the May 21 fresh election across all 285 booths in Falta following reports of “severe electoral offences and subversion of the democratic process” during the original ril 29 phase, the rules remained that such a repoll must be conducted with the same candidate roster and machine configuration as the initial polling.

Jahangir Khan wielded significant control over the grassroots party cadre in the South 24 Parganas district, making him the party’s choice as a new candidate after it won the last three elections here plus a bypoll.

Because his name and the two-flower symbol of the TMC remained on the EVM, voters who went to the polls still had the option to press it. Whether done by loyal party supporters who chose to vote for the TMC anyway, or by those unaware of his political announcement, or some indifferent people, every press of that button is a legally valid vote and has to be counted.

Politics

US police responding to dozens of shots fired near the White House

Secret Service investigating reported gunfire, with Al Jazeera correspondent saying more than 30 shots heard from North Lawn.

Published On 23 May 2026

US law enforcement agencies are responding to reports of more than 30 gunshots fired near the White House.

A suspect is down and was transported to George Washington Hospital, an unnamed law enforcement official told the news agency on Saturday. He did not ⁠specify the suspect’s condition ⁠or how he was brought down.

Scrap income tax on overtime hours, says Reform UK

Helen Miller from the Institute of Fiscal Studies said the Reform proposal was “problematic in principle and practice”, and “if the intention is to increase labour supply, it is not clear why an incentive should be targeted at increasing the hours of employees already working at least 40 hours a week”.

Politics

Delhi Gymkhana Club seeks meeting with Centre over eviction notice, says priority is uninterrupted operations

The Delhi Gymkhana Club on Saturday informed its members through a notice that it had sought an urgent meeting with officials from the ministry of housing and urban affairs after the Union government directed the club to hand over its 27.3-acre premises to the land & development office (L&DO) by June 5.

A car is seen entering the Delhi Gymkhana Club, in New Delhi. (PTI)

Located in the centre of Lutyens’ Delhi, the club sits next to the Prime Minister’s residence on Lok Kalyan Marg. Established in 1913 as the Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club, it was renamed after Independence and remains one of the country’s oldest elite institutional clubs.

What Delhi Gymkhana Club said on govt order

In a statement issued on Saturday, the club said it was looking to ensure uninterrupted functioning and had requested an urgent meeting with officials from the ministry of housing and urban affairs.

The secretary said members had decided to send a letter to the ministry’s land & development office (L&DO) as the matter concerns both members and employees associated with the club.

The officiating secretary said in a statement, Pursuant to the sudden development, the GC today met on an urgent basis and after detailed deliberation decided to write an immediate response to L&DO requesting clarity on several issues in the interest of the members and employees of the Club.

“The communication also requests an urgent pointment for the GC members to meet with Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs officials. The immediate priority of the GC is to ensure that the operations of the Club continue without dislocation. Further developments will be communicated after the response is received,” the statement read.

The Delhi Gymkhana Club is considered among India’s oldest and most prominent clubs. It moved to its current premises in 1913 and operated under the name “Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club”, with Spencer Harcourt Butler becoming its first president.

After India’s Independence in 1947, the word “Imperial” was removed, and the club became known as the Delhi Gymkhana Club.

Why Centre ordered club to vacate premises

The order, signed by deputy land and development officer Suchit Goyal, says that the property falls within a “highly sensitive and strategic area” of the national cital and is needed for strengthening defence facilities and public security requirements, HT had reported earlier.

“The land is essential to fulfil urgent institutional needs, governance infrastructure, and public interest projects, integrated with the resumption of adjoining government lands,” the L&DO order, issued under the the ministry of housing and urban affairs, said.

The order also said that, after re-entry, the entire plot, including all buildings, structures, lawns, and fittings on the premises, would come under the full ownership of the President of India.

It also said that if the club does not meet the deadline, possession of the property will be taken according to the law.

With inputs from Soumya Chatterjee and agencies

Politics

Massive fire engulfs residential area in the Philippine capital

Massive fire engulfs residential area in the Philippine cital

NewsFeed

A massive fire is tearing through a densely-populated neighbourhood in Manila. Authorities in the Philippines have raised the severity to the fifth alarm level amid intense efforts to contain the ridly spreading flames.

Published On 23 May 2026

Politics

This city has the most expensive petrol after third fuel hike. Check top 10 places

Petrol and diesel prices rose again Saturday by nearly ₹1 per litre each for the third time in eight days. This pushed cumulative hikes to almost ₹5 per litre in only over a week despite a fall in international crude oil prices.

Petrol and diesel prices rose again in India. ()

Hyderabad recorded the highest petrol price at ₹112.81 per litre on Saturday, followed closely by Thiruvananthuram at ₹112.64 and Patna at ₹111 per litre. Mumbai’s petrol price touched ₹108.45 per litre after an 86 paise increase, while Kolkata and Jaipur also remained above ₹109 per litre.

In Delhi, petrol prices climbed by 87 paise to ₹99.51 per litre, while diesel rose 91 paise to ₹92.49 per litre. Industry experts said gradual hikes may continue until OMCs recover estimated revenue losses of ₹8-10 per litre on petrol and diesel sales, HT reported earlier.

Top 10 cities with highest petrol prices on May 23

According to fuel price data compiled by Goodreturns,

2. Thiruvananthuram — ₹112.64 per litre

3. Patna — ₹111 per litre

4. Kolkata — ₹110.64 per litre

5. Jaipur — ₹109.84 per litre

6. Mumbai — ₹108.45 per litre

7. Bengaluru — ₹108.09 per litre

8. Bhubaneswar — ₹106.18 per litre

9. Chennai — ₹105.33 per litre

10. Guwahati — ₹105.1 per litre

Diesel crosses ₹100 in two cities

Diesel prices also witnessed sharp increases across cities. As per Goodreturns:

2. Hyderabad — ₹100.94 per litre

3. Bhubaneswar — ₹97.80 per litre

4. Patna — ₹97.03 per litre

5. Kolkata — ₹97.02 per litre

6. Chennai — ₹97 per litre

7. Bengaluru — ₹95.99 per litre

8. Jaipur — ₹95.05 per litre

9. Mumbai — ₹95.02 per litre

10. Guwahati — ₹94.03 per litre

Why fuel prices are rising

Sector experts said international crude oil prices remain volatile and elevated above $100 per barrel due to tensions in West Asia. India imports more than 88% of its crude oil requirements. This makes domestic fuel prices highly sensitive to global price spikes and rupee-dollar fluctuations.

According to industry estimates, OMCs were losing nearly ₹1,000 crore daily on petrol, diesel and LPG sales after the first hike on May 15, HT reported earlier. The losses have now reportedly reduced to below ₹500 crore per day after three rounds of price increases.

The three state-run fuel retailers, Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum, together control more than 90% of India’s fuel retail market and revise prices simultaneously.

(With inputs from HT’s Rajeev Jayaswal)