Trinamool Congress's Alifa Ahmed wins Kailganj bypoll, defeats BJP's Ashish Ghosh

Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Alifa Ahmed has won the Kaliganj Assembly bypoll in West Bengal's Nadia district by a massive margin of 50,049 votes, defeating her nearest BJP rival, Ashish Ghosh. The by-election was held following the death of her father and former MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed in February this year.According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), Alifa secured 1,02,759 votes, while BJP's Ashish Ghosh received 52,710 votes. The Congress-Left-supported candidate, Kabil Uddin Shaikh, came third with 28,348 votes.advertisementThough Alifa received around 9,000 votes less than her father's 1,11,696 votes in 2021, her winning margin increased. Nasiruddin had won by 46,987 votes in the last election, whereas Alifa surpassed that, seemingly due to a split in votes between BJP and Congress-Left candidates.
Outside the counting centre, Alifa thanked voters for their support. She said, "This victory is because of people's love and faith in Mamata Banerjee's development politics."Responding to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari's claim that Hindus didn't vote for TMC, Alifa said, 'I do not agree. We received significant leads from some Hindu-majority areas.'She added, 'We did not target votes from any particular community. We approached all voters. The results show people don't support communal division in Bengal.'advertisementWith PTI inputs.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The Hindu

32 minutes ago

• The Hindu

BJP president J.P. Nadda pays tribute to Syama Prasad Mookerjee

Bharatiya Janata Party president and Union Minister J.P. Nadda on Monday paid tribute to Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his 72nd death anniversary, which was observed as 'Balidan Diwas'. The BJP chief said the Bharatiya Jana Sangh founding president 'made the supreme sacrifice while opposing Articles 370 and 35A, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir'. Mr. Nadda said 'Balidan Diwas' (Sacrifice Day) events were being held by the party workers across the country. 'Dr. Mookerjee passed away under mysterious circumstances in Srinagar jail. Even his mother had demanded an inquiry into his death, but the appeal was ignored by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A under the decisive leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a historic step and a true tribute to Dr. Mookerjee's vision and sacrifice,' he said. 'Born in Bengal, Dr. Mookerjee played a pivotal role in India's Independence and in shaping the identity of today's India. His contribution was especially crucial in ensuring that regions like West Bengal, Punjab, and Assam became and remained integral parts of the nation,' he added. A party release said 'Dr. Mookerjee was appointed Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University at the age of just 33'. 'He later entered the Legislative Assembly and served United Bengal. After Independence, Dr. Mookerjee became a Minister in Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's first cabinet. However, ideological differences and his Opposition to Nehru's appeasement policies led him to resign from the post. He went on to establish the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and was one of its founding members,' said a party release. The BJP chief said that after the political party's founding, 'Dr. Mookerjee had vehemently opposed the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir... and gave the slogan Ek desh mein do nishan, do vidhan, aur do pradhan nahi chalenge [Two symbols, two Constitutions, and two heads will not work in one country]' and launched a movement against it. 'At that time, entry into Jammu and Kashmir required a special permit. Defying this rule, Dr. Mookerjee set out for the State on May 11 without seeking permission. He was arrested at the border and imprisoned in Srinagar. Tragically, on June 23, 1953, exactly 72 years ago, Dr. Mookerjee lost his life under mysterious circumstances in custody...,' he said. The BJP chief said: 'Every BJP karyakarta [worker] feels immense pride that on August 6, 2019, under the decisive leadership and resolve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the strategic execution by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Article 370 was finally abolished in Parliament...'

India Today

an hour ago

• India Today

Nilambur bypoll defeat: Did Pinarayi's party underplay PV Anvar factor?

Kerala's Nilambur electing Congress candidate Aryadan Shoukath in the June 19 bypoll serves as a warning for chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, whose government heads for assembly elections next year with a two-term wrested Nilambur, located in Malappuram district, from the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) by a convincing margin of around 11,360 votes. The previous MLA from the seat, P.V. Anvar, who had challenged the Vijayan government by contesting as an Independent, received over 19,000 had resigned as MLA in January after facing the heat for alleging that additional DGP (director general of police) M.R. Ajithkumar was involved in gold smuggling. Ajithkumar is widely considered as an officer enjoying the trust of the Vijayan CPI(M) had fielded M. Swaraj, a youth leader with clean image. As runner-up, he polled around 66,660 votes. The loss of Nilambur reduces the LDF's strength in the legislative assembly to 98, but more importantly, it gives the Congress-led Opposition UDF (United Democratic Front) a psychological advantage in the run-up to the state polls.'We won Nilambur by a convincing margin. I thank the people for supporting me against a corrupt government that had sponsored wrongful practices to defeat me,' Shoukath told INDIA Congress is in a jubilant mood. The counting of votes on June 23 revealed the UDF had maintained lead in Nilambur municipality, governed by the CPI(M), and six other panchayats, except Kurulayi. The LDF candidate trailed in his home ground of Pothukallu by 425 votes. Even in Nilambur municipality, the performance of Swaraj was used to be a Congress stronghold, with Shoukath's father Aryadan Muhammed holding the seat uninterrupted for almost 30 years since 1987. He had also held the seat from 1977 to 1980. Anvar snatched the seat for the LDF in 2016 and retained it in many locals, Shoukath's victory indicates a build-up against the Vijayan government. 'The Nilambur bypoll verdict should be an eye-opener for the chief minister, who campaigned in the constituency for five days and showcased his governance. His campaign attracted huge crowds, but not the votes,' said Faizal Ahmed, a businessman from the LDF had underestimated the Anvar factor and failed to neutralise his clout among their cadre. A win under its belt, the UDF will now be going into the local body polls scheduled in December with added confidence. 'We had taken a position that the Pinarayi Vijayan government must go, and the people voted for us. We will not allow the government to continue with its undemocratic activities,' said the Congress's V.D. Satheesan, who is leader of the to India Today Magazine- End

The Hindu

an hour ago

• The Hindu

Ex-AIADMK Ministers' participation in Lord Murugan conference shameful: Regupathy

The participation of some of the former AIADMK Ministers in the 'Muruga Bhakthargal' conference organised by the Hindu Munnani in Madurai on Sunday was 'shameful,' Minister for Natural Resources S. Regupathy said in Pudukottai on Monday. By remaining silent during the audio- visual presentation depicting Dravidian stalwarts such as Periyar E.V. Ramasamy, C.N. Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi in poor light, they had become 'unfit' to be called the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, he told journalists. The conference was held with a call to defeat 'Dravidam' in Tamil Nadu. However, the AIADMK had 'Dravidam' in its very name and its general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami had conveniently forgotten that. The AIADMK had proved that it had become 'bonded labourers' of the BJP, Mr. Regupathy alleged. Stating that the BJP would be driven out of the State, Mr. Regupathy said the DMK government would not give any room for religious bigotry in Tamil Nadu. Asked whether the heavy turnout of people at the conference will have any political impact on the 2026 Assembly elections, Mr. Regupathy said there was no connection between the two.