Krishnanagar: The Trinamool Congress on Tuesday named Alifa Ahmed, daughter of the late party MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed, as its candidate for the upcoming assembly by-election in Kaliganj, scheduled for June 19. Kaliganj is one of five assembly constituencies across four states where by-elections will be held on that day.
Alifa Ahmed, 38, is a B.Tech graduate who worked as a software engineer for over a decade, serving as a Project Manager with Tata Consultancy in Calcutta, until her nomination was finalized just days ago. Her nomination was officially announced by party spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumdar at a press conference held at the Trinamool Congress headquarters.
“Under the leadership of Hon’ble Chairperson Mamata Banerjee, AITC has decided to nominate Alifa Ahmed as its candidate for the Kaliganj by-polls. She is not new to politics and has served as a Zilla Parishad member from Kaliganj, along with working for the people of the constituency in various capacities. She is a well-known face in Kaliganj and the people will vote for her victory,” Majumdar said.
Alifa said that her nomination was not unexpected. “I expected the nomination as the people of Kaliganj believed that I am the one who can fulfill the incomplete work of my father and fill the void left by his sudden demise. I am indebted to Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee for finding me suitable to meet those expectations,” she said, vowing to increase the winning margin her father achieved in 2021, when he secured the seat by over 47,000 votes in this Muslim-majority constituency.
Her mother, Afroza Begham, also believes that only her daughter Alifa is competent to complete the remaining works of her demised husband, Nasiruddin Ahmed.
Currently residing mostly in Calcutta, Alifa, who is married to Tazirul Islam, a doctor from Ketugram in East Burdwan district, dismissed concerns that her nomination could be labeled as dynastic. “I am not just the daughter of the late Trinamool MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed, but an active politician. I became a Zilla Parishad member in 2018 and managed my father’s assembly election campaign in 2021. I couldn’t contest the Zilla Parishad seat again as it became a reserved seat. But I have always remained connected to Kaliganj as a daughter of the soil, and the people here know and love me. So, the allegation of a dynastic nomination does not apply to me,” said Alifa, mother to two sons named Aryan and Ihan.
Alifa began her schooling in Kaliganj before being admitted to Holy Family Girls’ School in Krishnanagar. She completed her B.Tech from the Durgapur-based Bengal College of Engineering and Technology.
She added that the BJP’s attempts at polarizing voters would not succeed in Kaliganj. “My father always worked with everyone, and I believe in his legacy. I will work with all communities, leaving behind any religious prejudice, to fulfill the incomplete tasks he left behind,” she said.
On the key issues she aims to focus on, Alifa said her priorities include developing Plassey as a major historical tourism destination, constructing an overbridge over the Jalangi River to connect Katwa, establishing a quality English-medium school, completing the construction of a stadium, and promoting education among women in a significant way.
For Alifa, time is limited, as the next assembly election is barely less than a year away. So she will be left with little time to live up to the expectations of the people. “If elected, I would try my best within the limited time available to complete the unfulfilled dreams of my father satisfying the expectations of the people of Kaliganj who love me and my father,” she stated.
The by-election in Kaliganj was necessitated by the untimely death of sitting TMC MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed in February this year.6 A well-known lawyer by profession, Ahmed was first elected in 2011 during the landmark election that ended the Left Front’s 34-year rule and brought the Trinamool Congress to power under Mamata Banerjee. Though he lost the seat to Congress candidate Hasanuzzaman Sk in 2016, he reclaimed it in the 2021 Assembly elections.