Kolkata: Alifa Ahmed was on Wednesday sworn-in as the newly-elected MLA from Kaliganj in Nadia, just nine days after she swept the by-elections. She was administered the oath by Bengal Legislative Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee at Syed Nausher Ali Hall.
After the oath, Ahmed expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and said she would strive to work like her. She also pledged to carry forward the unfinished work of her late father Nasiruddin Ahmed, whose death necessitated the by-election in Kaliganj.
Alifa acknowledged that she was elevated from an ordinary party worker to an MLA by Banerjee, for which she would remain thankful. She also expressed gratitude to Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee for guiding her on the campaign strategy during the bypoll.
Speaker Biman Banerjee, after administering the oath, expressed hope that Alifa would quickly grasp the responsibilities her father once held and fulfill her duties in accordance with legislative protocols. Her husband and child were present at the ceremony. Parliamentary Affairs minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, minister Firhad Hakim, Chandrima Bhattacharya, Moloy Ghatak, Sujit Bose and chief whip Nirmal Ghosh were among others present during the swearing-in.
The by-election was held on June 19 and the results were declared on June 23. Alifa Ahmed defeated BJP candidate Ashish Ghosh by a margin
of 50,049 votes.
Congress candidate Kabil Uddin Shaikh, backed by the Left, finished third in the bypolls with 28,348 votes.