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The Hindu
12 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
BJP accuses Trinamool of ‘booth jam, rigging' in Kaliganj bypoll; voting continues amidst rain
In West Bengal's Kaliganj, one of the five Assembly Constituencies across the country, which went to bye-election on Thursday (June 19, 2025), allegations flew thick and fast. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, Ashish Ghosh, alleged that polling officials deliberately marked with ink on his middle finger instead of the customary index finger. 'This was done in a pre-planned manner. Initially, they did not put ink on my finger. Then they did, after I went back for it. But before I could say anything, they put the ink on my middle finger. This was premeditated,' Mr. Ghosh alleged after he cast his vote in a booth at Debgram in Kaliganj. The bye-election to the Kaliganj seat in Nadia district was necessitated after the passing of Trinamool Congress MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed on February 2. The seat saw a three-pronged contest with Mr. Ahmed's daughter Alifa Ahmed as the Trinamool candidate, Ashish Ghosh for the BJP, and Kalbiluddin Sheikh of the Congress, who fought in alliance with the Left front, in the fray. On Thursday (June 19, 2025), the BJP accused the Trinamool of 'booth capturing' at multiple places in Kaliganj. 'The Trinamool did not allow our polling agents in two booths. I have informed the Election Commission. Booth jam and rigging are part of the Trinamool's culture,' Mr. Ghosh said. However, the Trinamool candidate, Ms. Ahmed, denied such allegations and said the opposition parties do not have 'organisational strength in Kaliganj' and should focus on 'working for the people' instead. Rain mars polling Voting continued on Thursday (June 19, 2025) amidst pouring rain in the constituency. 'I am confident that the people of Kaliganj will stand by our side… However, we are fighting not just against two political entities today but also the adverse weather conditions. It has been raining heavily since morning,' Ms. Ahmed said. While there were no reports of violence, many local people alleged that they could not arrive at their polling booths due to lack of transport, including ferry boats. As of 5 p.m., Election Commission officials pegged the turnout in Kaliganj at nearly 70%. The number is expected to increase as the voting closes. Kaliganj has 2,52,670 electors in total, according to the revised electoral list published by the Election Commission on May 5. A total of 14 companies of central forces had been deployed in the constituency for the bypoll. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition and BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari took to social media to accuse the Trinamool Congress of displaying 'regional bias' and an 'anti-Gujarati mindset' in its letter to the Chief Election Commissioner dated June 18, 2025, regarding the selection of a Gujarat-based webcasting agency for polling in the Kaliganj constituency.
India Gazette
a day ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
West Bengal: Mock-polling held ahead of bypolls in Kaliganj
Kaliganj (West Bengal) [India], June 19 (ANI): Mock polling was held at a polling booth in the Kaliganj assembly constituency ahead of voting for the Kaliganj bye-elections, which began at 7 AM. The visuals show election officials casting a vote and conducting a mock-polling drill before the actual polling begins. Pradyut Mallick, Presiding Officer at Booth No 171, Debagram DK Girls High School, in the Kaliganj Assembly Constituency, told ANI, 'Good arrangements have been made by the Election Commission. Security is also good... Seeing everything, we are confident that voting will take place peacefully... Mock poll is going on currently, and everything is going on smoothly... There are 1174 voters in this polling station...' The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) has fielded Alifa Ahmed, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Ashish Ghosh, and the Congress has fielded Kabil Uddin Shaikh as candidates for the by-elections. On Saturday, the BJP announced Ashish Ghosh as the candidate for the upcoming Kaliganj assembly constituency bypoll. Meanwhile, the TMC announced Alifa Ahmed as their candidate for the Kaliganj shared a post on their official 'X' handle and informed about the development. 'AITC, under the inspiration and guidance of Chairperson Mamata Banerjee, we are pleased to announce the candidate for the upcoming West Bengal Legislative Assembly By-election scheduled for 19th June, 2025', the 'X' post read. Bye elections in Kaliganj will be held on June 19, and the results will be counted on June 23. The seat became vacant following the death of TMC MLA Nasiruddin Ahamed. On May 25, the Election Commission of India announced dates for by-elections on five assembly constituencies across four states. These include Gujarat's Kadi and Visavadar, Kerala's Nilambur, Punjab's Ludhiana West and West Bengal's Kaliganj. Bye-election will be held in Gujarat's constituencies Kadi and Visavadar to fill the posts of Karsanbhai Punjabhai Solanki, who passed away in February this year, and the resignation of Bhayani Bhupendrabhai Gandubhai. In Kerala, the bye-election will be held in Nilambur to fill the post of PV Anvar, an LDF-backed MLA who resigned in January this year. He was appointed convener of the Kerala unit of the Trinamool Congress (TMC). In Punjab, the bye-election will be held in Ludhiana West to fill the post of Gurpreet Bassi Gogi after his demise in January. (ANI)
