West Bengal by-election: Alifa Ahamed wins Kaliganj by over 50,000 votes, retains seat for TMC

Kaliganj: Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Alifa Ahamed won the Kaliganj Assembly by-election in West Bengal’s Nadia district by a margin of over 50,000 votes on Monday.

The bypoll was necessitated by the death of her father and sitting MLA Nasiruddin Ahamed earlier this year.

Alifa, fielded by the ruling party to retain her late father's seat, secured 59,329 votes, defeating BJP’s Ashis Ghosh, who garnered 29,580 votes. Congress candidate Kabil Uddin Shaikh, backed by the CPI(M) as part of the INDIA bloc, came in third with 19,516 votes, according to officials from the Election Commission.

Voting for the by-election was held on June 19 and witnessed a turnout of 69.85%, with counting beginning at 8 AM today under tight security arrangements.

With this win, TMC strengthens its hold in Nadia district and signals continued voter trust in Mamata Banerjee’s leadership, especially in stronghold rural constituencies.

Candidates:

In a bid to retain the seat, the ruling TMC has fielded Ahamed’s daughter, Alifa Ahamed, who is aiming to carry forward her father's legacy.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated Ashis Ghosh, while the Congress has fielded Kabil Uddin Shaikh, who is contesting with the backing of the Left Front, particularly the CPI(M), under a broader INDIA bloc alliance.

As per Election Commission officials, the counting began with postal ballots and will proceed in rounds through the day. Results are expected by this afternoon.

Kaliganj has been a stronghold of the TMC, but the BJP and Congress-led alliance were looking to pose a serious challenge amid shifting political dynamics.