New Delhi: Counting for the by-poll to the Kaliganj assembly seat in West Bengal’s Nadia district started on Monday under tight security.
“The counting for the bypoll in Kaliganj started around 8 am,” an Election Commission official said as per a PTI report.
The bypoll in Kaliganj was carried out on June 19. A 60.32 per cent voter turnout was registered during the polling.
According to ECI, Trinamool Congress candidate Alifa Ahmed is leading by bagging 2,715 votes. Congress candidate Kabil Uddin Shaikh is in second place with 1,830 votes, followed by BJP’s Ashish Ghosh, who has received 1,112 votes till now.
About the candidates
The by-election was conducted due to the sudden death of Trinamool Congress MLA Nasiruddin Ahamed in February this year. His daughter, Alifa Ahmed, is in the fray.
The BJP nominated Ashis Ghosh as its candidate, while Congress’ Kabil Uddin Shaikh is contesting with the support of the CPI(M). This marks another joint effort by the Congress-Left alliance.
Security in place
Security was beefed up outside the counting centre at Panighata High School in West Bengal’s Nadia district on Sunday. The school, designated as the official venue for the counting, witnessed a heavy deployment of security personnel to maintain law and order during the proceedings.
The by-election results will be announced after 23 rounds of counting across 16 tables, with the main contest shaping up between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP.
