A daylong drizzle, coupled with dilapidated roads, proved to be a major setback for contesting candidates in the Kaliganj Assembly by-election in Nadia on Thursday, as many voters chose to remain indoors rather than brave the weather and bad roads to reach polling stations.

Despite efforts by political parties to mobilise voters by providing e-rickshaws and motorcycles, the turnout remained relatively low, clocking 69.85 per cent till 5pm. Weather and infrastructure challenges mirrored those experienced during the campaign trail and continued to deter voters on polling day.

Activists from both Trinamool and BJP admitted that poor roads dampened voter enthusiasm.

“It is a bitter reality to accept that at least four village road stretches in the area — Char Patahati, Purbapara, Chaudhuripara, and Mahakal — have become largely inaccessible and need an immediate makeover,” said local Trinamool leader Roopchand Biswas.

BJP leader Narayan Dutta echoed the concern. “People did not bother to take the trouble to appear at the polling station to cast their votes. We tried our best by sending an e-rickshaw; nevertheless, many people, mainly elderly ones, avoided the journey as it was risky through the muddy, waterlogged road.”

Kaliganj, a largely rural constituency with 309 polling stations spread over a vast area, saw minimal footfall at several locations. The usual scenes of voters walking in groups to booths were missing. The persistent rain and long stretches of poor roads made commuting difficult, especially in rural interiors.

Though enthusiastic voters were spotted at some places — riding e-rickshaws or wading through muddy lanes — many others opted to stay home. The rain made numerous roads slippery and waterlogged, making access to polling booths a challenge. At several locations, e-rickshaws were seen getting stuck in slush and had to be manually pushed through the muck.

Several voters openly admitted they chose not to vote rather than navigate the treacherous conditions, despite the Election Commission’s efforts to ensure a fair polling process.

Trinamool Congress candidate Alifa Ahmed, who along with minister Firhad Hakim, had on Monday faced public anger over bad roads during her campaign, encountered resentment in certain pockets of the constituency on polling day.

In Hatgacha-Asachia village, villagers demanded road development before any appeal for votes. Alifa promised the situation would be addressed before the 2026 elections.

In Nayachar, an isolated “char (silt)” area on the Bhagirathi river, Alifa faced similar hostility. Residents, frustrated by administrative apathy and the poor state of roads — particularly during the monsoon — urged her to ensure the repair of at least four critical roads in the area. Nayachar’s two polling stations, housed in Nayachar Choudhurypara Primary School, recorded voter turnouts of 67.2 per cent and 70.3 per cent, respectively.

In Asachia, the village where Hakim’s convoy was stopped by irate villagers during the bypoll campaign, saw poor turnout, with many residents refusing to vote to protest bad road conditions.

In Plassey, where Trinamool candidate Alifa cast her vote at the Plassey Mira Balika Vidyaniketan polling premises, the situation was no better. The approach road was so muddy that voters struggled to enter. Several e-rickshaws arranged by the TMC got stuck and had to be manually pushed through the muck.

Blaming the rain, Alifa said: “Polling today is no longer a triangular contest (TMC, BJP, Congress-Left combine); rather, it has become a four-cornered one. The weather has become another contender and we are fighting against it,” she said.

She rejected allegations of road neglect, attributing the damage to monsoon, but
acknowledged: “Road is an issue that needs to be handled properly.”

BJP candidate Ashis Ghosh countered her, saying: “The people’s spontaneous protest has proved that the Trinamool government’s big claim about development of roads is a lie. Long stretches of roads in vast areas of Kaliganj have remained inaccessible, which angered people and led them to abstain from voting, coupled with rain.”

Congress-Left candidate Kabil Uddin said: “People are fed up with the Trinamool Congress and their mood on polling day said we are going to win Kaliganj.”

Despite the challenges, polling remained largely peaceful and the Election Commission could test some steps to adopt on a wider scale in next year’s Assembly polls. However, Opposition parties at a few places complained that their polling agents were intimidated by the Trinamool, a charge that Nadia’s TMC leaders refuted. EC sources said that at least at one place, polling agents of Opposition parties were pushed back inside the polling booth.

All three key candidates — Alifa (Trinamool), Ghosh (BJP) and Kabil Uddin (Congress-Left) — expressed satisfaction over how the bypoll was conducted.

However, the poll day ended on a grim note. Lalan Halder, 36, a boatman from Ketugram-Laliapur village in East Burdwan, went missing while ferrying voters across the Bhagirathi River. He reportedly fell ill and fell into the water while plying a boat between Siluri Char and Phoolbagan village.

A search operation was launched by the Nadia district administration, but he remained traceless till late Thursday evening.