India, June 19 -- Polling officials recorded a voter turnout of 30.6% till 11 am in the Kaliganj assembly seat bye-election as the process went on smoothly in the first half of the day in West Bengal's Nadia district on Thursday.

The bye-election was necessitated due to the sudden demise of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed in February this year. Counting of votes will be held on June 23.

"Voting was going on peacefully with no reports of any untoward incidents," said a poll panel official in West Bengal.

While the ruling TMC has fielded Alifa Ahmed, daughter of the former MLA and an IT engineer by profession, the BJP has fielded Ashis Ghosh, a businessman, as its candidate. The Congress, meanwhile, has fielded Kabil Uddin ...