Congress announces Kabil Uddin Sheikh as candidate for Kaliganj bypoll; Left Front to support

After a series of talks, the Left Front and the Congress have agreed to jointly fight the Kaliganj Assembly bypoll in West Bengal which is slated to be held on June 19. On Saturday, the Congress announced Kabil Uddin Sheikh as its candidate for the seat.Earlier, CPI(M) state secretary Mohammed Salim had said that the party did well in the area in the previous Lok Sabha election and hence it will put up a candidate in Kaliganj, which is a traditional Congress bastion.

- 

Besides the Congress, Left ally RSP has won the seat four times during the Left Front’s rule. In 2016, the Congress — which was in an alliance with the Left — won the Assembly seat, but its winning candidate later joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC). TMC's Nasiruddin Ahmed won from Kaliganj in 2011 but lost in 2016. He again regained the seat in 2021. After his demise in February this year, the seat has been vacant.During the Left Front meeting on Friday, allies of the CPI(M) said that the seat should ideally go to the RSP, but for the sake of the alliance, it should be given to the Congress. The CPI(M) leadership agreed. A senior CPI(M) leader said, “It was decided in the Left Front meeting that the RSP may fight in the 2026 Assembly election, but now the seat can be given to the Congress. The TMC had earlier a