Kolkata: The by-election to the Kaliganj Assembly Constituency in Nadia district passed off peacefully except for a few stray incidents.
A voter turnout of 69.85 per cent was recorded till 5 pm on Thursday, an election official said. Polling began at 7 am and concluded at 6 pm.
It is expected that the turnout may increase further, as queues were observed outside polling booths till the evening.
The by-election was conducted amid tight security. A total of 14 companies of Central Forces were deployed across the Constituency to ensure free and fair polling.
At Chandghar Adarsha Vidyapith’s booth number 56, the Congress alleged that its polling agent was forcibly removed by Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers, an allegation denied by the ruling party.
The by-election was necessitated by the sudden demise of TMC MLA Nasiruddin Ahamed in February.
The ruling Trinamool has fielded his daughter, Alifa Ahamed, a 38-year-old BTech graduate and corporate professional, as its candidate.
The BJP has nominated Ashis Ghosh, while Congress candidate Kabil Uddin Shaikh is contesting with the backing of the CPI(M).
TMC candidate Ahamed cast her vote and urged voters to come out in larger numbers.
After casting her vote she said: “To build a development-driven Kaliganj, everyone must exercise their franchise.” Taking a swipe at the BJP, she said: “They can’t even manage to seat polling agents. What can we do about that?”
BJP candidate, Ashis Ghosh, after casting his vote, expressed confidence of a victory. He, however, objected to the polling procedure, alleging that officials deliberately applied the indelible ink on his middle finger instead of the index finger under the “insistence” of TMC agents.
“First, they missed putting the ink on my finger when I went to vote. Then, after I noticed it and returned, they deliberately marked my middle finger. This is a pre-planned political conspiracy by the TMC,” Ghosh alleged.
He later posed for photographs showing his ink-marked middle finger. Poll officials confirmed no rules were violated but said they had sought a report from the District Magistrate regarding the incident.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh on the by-election said: “We will retain the seat with a record margin. The people will give a befitting reply to the Left-Congress alliance and the BJP.”