Over 30% polling till 11 am in by-election to Kaliganj assembly seat in Bengal

Kaliganj: A voter turnout of 30.64 per cent was recorded till 11 am on Thursday in the by-election to the Kaliganj assembly seat in West Bengal's Nadia district, officials said.

Polling began at 7 AM, amid tight security arrangements, they said.

Fourteen companies of central forces have been deployed to ensure free and fair polling in the constituency.

Voting will continue till 5 PM.

Tension flared up at a booth where the Congress alleged that its polling agent was forcibly removed by workers of the Trinamool Congress. The ruling party, however, denied the charge.

The by-election was necessitated by the death of Trinamool Congress MLA Nasiruddin Ahamed in February. His daughter, Alifa Ahamed, is contesting the seat as the TMC nominee.

The BJP has fielded Ashis Ghosh as its candidate, while Congress candidate Kabil Uddin Shaikh is in the fray with the support of the CPI(M).