India, May 22 -- Electors of West Bengal's Falta voted peacefully on Thursday with over 86.11 per cent polling till 5 pm in a re-election held under the shadow of TMC candidate Jahangir Khan's dramatic withdrawal from the contest two days earlier, a move widely seen as handing over the ruling BJP a virtual walkover in the politically sensitive constituency.

With Central forces heavily deployed and long queues visible outside booths through the day, the repoll passed off without major incident, though the political shadow over the constituency came less from the voting itself and more from the abrupt exit of Khan.

The repoll stemmed from controversy surrounding the April 29 election, when complaints surfaced from several booths, alleging...