The by-election in Kaliganj Assembly constituency in Nadia passed off peacefully today with the ruling party and Opposition trading charges against each other.
The polling percentage till 5 p.m. is 69.58.
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The by-election became necessary after Trinamul Congress MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed died prematurely.
Trinamul Congress fielded Alifa Ahmed, Nasiruddin’s daughter while BJP fielded Ashis Ghosh and Congress and CPI-M fielded Kabiluddin Sheikh.
There were 14 companies of central forces, 700 policemen, 20 Quick Response Team and six Rapid Action Force teams. The total number of voters is 2.52 lakh.
Trinamul Congress first won the seat in 2011 and since then it has been the party’s stronghold. It was a Congress stronghold from 1952 till 1977 and then it became a Left Front bastion.
The opposition parties, including the BJP and Congress-CPI-M alleged that Trinamul Congress workers did not allow their polling agents to enter the polling stations. There were 162 polling stations and 309 polling booths.
Brushing aside the allegations of the opposition parties, Alifa Ahmed said the opposition could not field polling agents because of their poor organisation.
Trinamul’s only purpose is to increase the margin. Nasiruddin had won in 2021 by over 47,000 votes. As this is the last by-election before the 2026 Assembly election, this is an acid test for the party to see whether the infighting affects the poll prospects of the candidate. There are two groups, one led by Mahua Moitra MP and the other by local leaders. Alifa Ahmed is a member of the zilla parishad and a popular and known face in the area. By fielding her as the candidate, Trinamul Congress chairperson had played a master stroke and was successful in uniting the party.
Kaliganj TMC candidate Alifa Ahmed after casting her vote, said, “We are trying to get people to turn out in large numbers and increase the vote percentage. Our leadership is making all arrangements. It has been raining heavily since morning but has stopped now. We are hopeful the voting percentage will increase after this. We thank the state administration and ECI for conducting the polls peacefully. We request the people to cast their votes without any fear. It is not our lookout that the BJP could not field agents in maximum booths. They could have worked to strengthen the organisation like we have done and ensured agents at all booths.”
The BJP has played communal card and wants to see whether the Hindu vote has consolidated or not. If yes, then the battle in the 2026 Assembly election will be tough for Trinamul.
Left Front and Congress do not have a vote bank and the candidate is fighting to ensure that the deposit is not forfeited.
Braving intermittent rain the voters came out of their houses to exercise their franchise. Everyone is anxiously waiting to see whether Trinamul is able to keep their vote bank intact or there is a dent caused by the BJP and this will be known when the results are announced.