Kaliganj bypoll: Crude bomb explosion kills 10-year-old child in West Bengal amid vote count

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed grief over the child's death in Kaliganj and promised strong action against those responsible. 

Kaliganj: Tragedy struck West Bengal's Kaliganj constituency during vote count after a crude bomb explosion killed a 10-year-old child on Monday, June 23. The blast took place in Barochandgar village as Trinamool Congress (TMC) party candidate Alifa Ahmed was leading comfortably in the election. The victim was identified as Tamanna Khatun, a Class 4 student.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed shock at the death of the girl. “I am shocked and deeply saddened at the death of a young girl in an explosion at Barochandgar in Krishnanagar police district. My prayers and thoughts are with the family in their hour of grief. Police shall take strong and decisive legal action against the culprits at the earliest,” she added.

TMC wins comfortably in Kaliganj

Alifa Ahmed won with a margin of 50,049 votes, defeating Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Ashish Ghosh and Congress' Kabil Uddin Shaikh. In a post on X, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her deep gratitude to the voters, thanking them for their overwhelming support. 

"In the by-election of the Kaliganj Assembly constituency, people from all religions, castes, communities, and all walks of life have overwhelmingly blessed us by exercising their voting rights. I humbly express my gratitude to them," Banerjee wrote. 

She credited the victory to the guiding values of Maa-Mati-Manush (Mother, Soil, People), emphasizing, "The main architect of this victory is Maa-Mati-Manush. My colleagues in Kaliganj have worked tirelessly for this, and I extend my sincere congratulations to them as well." Banerjee also dedicated the win to the late legislator Nasiruddin Ahmed, stating, "In memory of the late legislator Nasiruddin Ahmed, I dedicate this victory to the people of Bengal- Maa-Mati-Manush."