Ahead of the June 19 by-election to the 80-Kaliganj Assembly Constituency, the election authorities in Nadia district are in full swing with preparations, to ensure a smooth and fair polling process.
The Election Commission has officially communicated the date and time for the counting of votes for the 80-Kaliganj by-election. In adherence to the latest directives from the EC, strict guidelines are being implemented for the polling day. “As per order no. 464/INST/2023/EPS (poll day management outside) dated May 23, 2025, and in accordance with Sections 25 and 130 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, no election booth will be permitted within a 100-meter radius from the entrance of any polling station. This rule applies even in locations with multiple polling stations, ensuring a clear and unbiased zone around the voting premises,” read a statement issued by the Commission.
In a significant development for eligible voters serving away from their home constituencies, particulars of 1,134 service voters have been successfully uploaded to the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS).
Meanwhile, a coordination meeting with the postal department was held on Thursday to streamline the dispatch and return of these ballots.
As part of new polling regulations, the voters are prohibited from carrying mobile phones inside polling stations. To facilitate this, phone deposit facilities will be set up at each polling station’s entrance, exclusively for voters.
“This deposit facility is exclusively for voters. Extensive public awareness campaigns are currently underway within the 80-Kaliganj AC polling area to ensure all voters are aware of the new regulation,” read a statement by the EC.
To enforce the mobile phone ban, the Nadia district administration will deploy National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets, comprising school students, who are under 18 years of age, as volunteers to collect mobile phones from voters outside the polling booths.
Officials stated that the deployment of NCC cadets aligns with an Election Commission guideline allowing their engagement as volunteers.
The EC had stressed the mobile phone ban in the run-up to recent by-elections.
The by-election for the Kaliganj Assembly seat in Nadia district of West Bengal is set for a crucial electoral battle ahead of next year’s Assembly elections in the state. The seat fell vacant in February this year following the demise of the incumbent Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA, Nasiruddin Ahmed, 70.
In 2021 Assembly elections, Ahmed, known as Lal in TMC circles, secured a victory by a margin of 46,987 votes against BJP’s Abhijit Ghosh, with Congress’ Abdul Kasem finishing a distant third. It marked Ahmed’s second win from the Kaliganj seat, having previously won in 2011 before losing to the Congress in 2016.