The Left Front and the Congress party will jointly support a Congress nominee in the upcoming by-election in Kaliganj, a key Assembly seat in West Bengal’s Nadia district, scheduled for 19 June. The Indian National Congress on Friday night nominated Kabiluddin Sheikh as its candidate for the bypoll, a decision endorsed by the party’s general secretary, KC Venugopal.
In a letter to the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee, Venugopal confirmed that the All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge had cleared Sheikh’s candidature for the Kaliganj seat. The Left Front, which includes the Communist Party of India (Marxist- Leninist) and other allies, decided late Friday to back Sheikh’s candidature. The Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), traditionally a contender in this constituency, has agreed to support the Congress nominee this time as part of the opposition alliance. “This is a tactical decision made specifically for the by-election. However, the RSP will seek to contest the seat again in the 2026 assembly election,” RSP leader Tapan Hore said during the alliance meeting. The Kaliganj seat fell vacant following the death of Trinamul Congress (TMC) legislator Nasiruddin Ahmed in February. The ruling TMC has nominated Ahmed’s daughter, Alifa Ahmed, to contest the bypoll. Though new as a candidate, Alifa is reportedly familiar with the region’s political dynamics. The by-election is seen as politically significant ahead of the 2026 West Bengal assembly polls, with opposition parties aiming to consolidate their support base and challenge the TMC’s dominance.
In past elections, the seat has seen shifts in allegiance. The Congress won Kaliganj in 2016 but lost to the TMC in 2021. RSP leaders maintain that their party has a long-standing presence and organisational strength in the area. The Kaliganj bypoll marks a fresh test for opposition unity in Bengal, as anti-TMC forces seek common ground in an increasingly polarized political landscape.