On Tuesday, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) announced its candidate for the upcoming by-election in the Kaliganj Assembly constituency, scheduled for June 19. The party has chosen Alifa Ahmed, daughter of late MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed, whose passing in February necessitated the bypoll.
Though professionally an engineer, Alifa is a dedicated TMC worker. Her formal entry into politics began in 2018 when she was elected to the Nadia Zilla Parishad. However, she claims she has been involved in electoral politics since 2011 when she began assisting her father with booth-level campaign planning.
AITC, under the inspiration and guidance of Hon’ble Chairperson @MamataOfficial, is pleased to announce Alifa Ahmed as the candidate for the upcoming Kaliganj AC By-election scheduled for 19.06.2025. pic.twitter.com/6KeOLKTAoB
— Nilanjan Das (@NilanjanDasAITC) May 27, 2025
Alifa’s nomination surprised many, especially amid persistent speculation about tensions between her late father and TMC’s Nadia district president and Krishnanagar MP, Mahua Moitra.
Despite these rumours, which Moitra's associates have repeatedly denied, the MP herself shared the news of Alifa’s candidacy on her social media platforms, signalling her endorsement.
Several other names were reportedly in the running for the ticket, including Shefali Khatun, president of the Kaliganj Panchayat Samiti, and Tarannum Sultana, chairperson of the Nadia Zilla Parishad. However, the party ultimately placed its trust in the ex-MLA’s daughter.
The Kaliganj assembly seat, part of Krishnangar Lok Sabha constituency, was a traditional Congress stronghold with the Revolutionary Socialist Party occasionally winning few elections in between. In 2011, Nasiruddin, fondly known as Lal da in Kaliganj, made a breakthrough for the TMC by winning the seat in 2011, defeating RSP’s Sankar Sarkar.
Nasiruddin, an advocate by profession, failed to retain the seat as he was beaten by Hasanuzzaman Sk of the Congress, which was contesting the election in alliance with the Left Front.
He returned with a landslide victory in the 2021 polls when he secured over 53 per cent vote. His closest rival was BJP’s Abhijit Ghosh who only managed 30% vote.
The veteran politician passed away on February 2 this year following a cardiac arrest, leaving the Kaliganj seat vacant. In response, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the by-election on Sunday.
The Kaliganj bypoll will be held alongside four other Assembly seat by-elections across three states, Visavadar in Gujarat, Nilambur in Kerala, and Ludhiana West in Punjab, on June 19.
