Kolkata, May 19 -- In a jolt to the Trinamool Congress two days ahead of the Falta Assembly repoll, the party's candidate Jahangir Khan on Tuesday announced his withdrawal from the contest after publicly praising West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
Khan cited "peace and development" of the area as the reason behind his decision, even as the Trinamool Congress called it a "personal decision", and not that of the party.
The dramatic announcement came just hours before campaigning officially ended for the repoll and triggered sharp political reactions across party lines. Falta is part of the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, which has Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee as the sitting MP.
Jahangir,...