TMC’s Alifa Ahmed secures landslide victory in Kaliganj Assembly bypoll
Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Alifa Ahmed secured a sweeping victory in the Kaliganj Assembly bypoll by defeating her nearest rival BJP’s Ashish Ghosh by a margin of 50,049 votes.
Ahmed has surpassed the 2021-win margin of her late father, Nasiruddin Ahmed, whose death necessitated the by-election in Nadia’s Kaliganj.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) figures said Ahmed secured 1,02,759 votes, while BJP’s Ashish Ghosh received 52,710 votes.
Congress candidate Kabil Uddin Shaikh, backed by the Left, finished third with 28,348 votes. Ahmed received around 9,000 votes less than her father’s 1,11,696 votes in 2021. Her winning margin has increased compared to that of her father in 2021. Nasiruddin had won by 46,987 votes in the last election. It seemed to have happened due to a split in votes between BJP and Congress-Left candidates.
Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo, Mamata Banerjee, expressed gratitude saying: “People of all religions, castes, races and walks of life in the area have blessed us immensely by exercising their right to vote in the by-elections to the Kaliganj Assembly Constituency. I humbly express my gratitude to them. The main architects of this victory are mother, soil and people.
My colleagues from Kaliganj have worked tirelessly for this. I also extend my heartfelt congratulations to them.”
Banerjee added: “My greetings and salutations to everyone. In memory of the late MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed, I dedicate this victory to the motherland and people of Bengal.”
After winning the election, Ahmed thanked voters for their support. “This victory is because of people’s love and faith in Mamata Banerjee’s development politics.” Responding to Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari’s claim that Hindus didn’t vote for Trinamool, Ahmed said, “I do not agree. We received significant leads from some Hindu-majority areas.”
Reacting to the election results, Trinamool Congress said: “The people’s mandate has been spoken, loud and clear! Smt. Alifa Ahmed’s victory sends a powerful message. Bengal rejects hate and division, and chooses progress and development. This win reflects our resolute commitment to Bengal’s Maa, Mati, Manush!”
“Smt. @MamataOfficial thanked the people of Kaliganj for their immense support in the Assembly bye-election. Calling them the true architects of this victory, she dedicated the win to the spirit of Bengal’s Maa-Mati-Manush and praised the hard work of grassroots workers. Joy Bangla!” TMC said in its post on X.
Meanwhile, a blast in Kaliganj in Naida district killed a 13-year-old girl prompting CM Mamata to take strict action against the culprits. The ECI has also sought a report in this regard.
