West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, speaking at a BJP workers’ rally in Falta, alleges that people in the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency have been unable to exercise voting rights for about a decade. He links this claim to the entry of TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee into West Bengal politics and says the situation will change following the repolling scheduled for May 21 in the Falta Assembly seat.
Adhikari, who said he is addressing a political meeting for the first time since taking office as Chief Minister, calls the Falta repolls an opportunity to “re-establish voter rights.” Alongside his remarks on the repoll, he also announces a special development package for the Falta Assembly constituency, in addition to pre-poll promises made by the BJP in its manifesto.
Both reports present Adhikari’s comments as his allegation regarding the constituency’s voting access and his assertion that the May 21 repoll will address it. They do not independently verify the underlying claim about voting rights over the past decade.