EC to deploy 20 companies of central forces, webcasting at every booth for June 19 Kaliganj bypoll

The Election Commission has announced strict security and surveillance measures for the upcoming by-election in West Bengal’s Kaliganj Assembly constituency, scheduled for June 19. As part of the preparations, 18 to 20 companies of central paramilitary forces will be deployed in the region starting next week. The decision has been taken to ensure law and order during the polling process.

In addition to security forces, webcasting will be arranged at every polling booth on the day of voting. This will enable real-time monitoring of the polling process. The Commission has completed a detailed security assessment of the area and has instructed the concerned district administration to make necessary arrangements for smooth conduct of the election.

The Kaliganj seat in Nadia district fell vacant following the death of sitting MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed of the Trinamool Congress in February 2025. In the 2021 Assembly elections, Ahmed had won the seat with more than 53 percent of the votes. The BJP had finished in second position, while the Left-Congress alliance secured around 12 percent of the votes. The vote margin between TMC and BJP had exceeded 46,000.

The Kaliganj by-election is one of five scheduled across the country on June 19. Other constituencies include Kadi and Visavadar in Gujarat, Ludhiana West in Punjab, and Nilambur in Kerala. Counting for all five seats will be held on June 23. The Commission has also confirmed that necessary guidelines and polling protocols will be implemented uniformly across all states.