Bengal: TMC leader Jahangir Khan arrested at India-Nepal border
What's the story
Jahangir Khan, a prominent Trinamool Congress strongman, was arrested by the West Bengal Special Task Force (STF) at the India-Nepal border. The arrest comes over a month after the state elections in which his party lost power after a 15-year rule. The Calcutta High Court had refused to extend his interim protection leading to his arrest.
Legal troubles
Khan accused of threatening, trying to rig elections
Khan, who had styled himself after the Telugu action film Pushpa, is accused of making threats and attempting election fraud. After the May 4 election results were declared, five police cases were registered against him. He was a candidate from the Falta constituency, which had to undergo re-polling on May 21 due to allegations of tampering with voting machines.
Election aftermath
BJP won Falta seat by record margin
Khan had withdrawn his candidacy just days before the re-election in the Falta constituency. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the seat by a record margin, further bolstering its majority, while the void left by Khan's withdrawal meant the CPI(M) candidate was a distant second. Meanwhile, Khan went off the radar and locked his office after the election results were declared.