 "Crude bomb kills girl in Nadia amid TMC bypoll victory celebrations")
A teenage girl lost her life in West Bengal’s Nadia district on Monday after being injured in a crude bomb explosion. The incident occurred as counting was underway for the Kaliganj by-election, NDTV reported.
Unverified reports alleged that members of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), while celebrating their party’s victory, hurled crude bombs near the residence of a CPI(M) supporter. One of the bombs reportedly exploded close to the girl, Tamanna Khatun, fatally injuring her.
K Amarnath, Superintendent of Police for Krishnanagar district, said it was too early to confirm a political motive. “We are conducting raids and have detained one person for questioning. It's a very unfortunate incident. We will nab the culprits,” he told reporters outside the girl’s home.
Mamata Banerjee expresses shock and grief
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed deep sorrow over the incident.
"I am shocked and deeply saddened at the death of a young girl in an explosion at Barochandgar in Krishnanagar police district. My prayers and thoughts are with the family in their hour of grief. Police shall take strong and decisive legal action against the culprits at the earliest,” she posted on X.
TMC retains Kaliganj with significant margin
The by-election was necessitated by the death of sitting MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed. Alifa Ahmed of the Trinamool Congress emerged victorious, defeating BJP’s Ashish Ghosh by over 50,000 votes. The Congress candidate was Kabil Uddin Shaikh.
Following the result, Mamata Banerjee thanked voters and dedicated the victory to the people of Bengal. "People of all religions, castes, races and walks of life in the area have blessed us immensely by exercising their right to vote in the by-elections to the Kaliganj Assembly constituency. I humbly express my gratitude to them," she wrote on X.
She also credited the win to the “Maa-Mati-Manush” slogan, calling it the guiding force of the party. "My colleagues from Kaliganj have worked tirelessly for this. I also extend my heartfelt congratulations to them. My greetings and salutations to everyone. Remembering the late MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed, I dedicate this victory to the motherland and people of Bengal," she added.
Bypolls held in four other constituencies
Vote counting also took place in four other constituencies—Kadi and Visavadar in Gujarat, Nilambur in Kerala, and Ludhiana West in Punjab—as part of the bypoll cycle.