The reported closure of the Kolkata office of Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), which is handling the election strategy of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), has triggered political activity ahead of the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections. The development comes days before polling is scheduled to begin.
According to sources, the company’s human resources department issued instructions to approximately 1,300 employees not to report to work. The TMC has rejected these reports, stating that the development is part of routine organisational activity.
The reported development has raised questions regarding booth-level planning ahead of the elections. I-PAC had prepared an extensive booth management and digital strategy for the TMC, reportedly deploying around one lakh shadow agents across approximately 93,000 polling booths in West Bengal.
The responsibilities assigned to these agents included verifying voter list deletions, maintaining contact with voters at the booth level, providing real-time reporting from the field, and monitoring electoral irregularities. The party’s organisational structure was also divided into four levels to carry out operations at an accelerated pace.
I-PAC had analysed data from the 2021 Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to classify seats into three categories: b, weak, and low-margin seats. Special focus was placed on seats with a margin of less than 15,000 votes. Based on this classification, candidate selection and campaign strategies were formulated, including decisions to deny tickets to several sitting legislators.
Separately, allegations of financial irregularities have been made against I-PAC and its director, Prateek Jain. The case is reportedly linked to an alleged ₹2,742 crore money laundering matter involving funds connected to a coal theft case. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered an FIR on November 27, 2020, while the Enforcement Directorate (ED) initiated its investigation on November 28, 2020. It has been alleged that approximately ₹20 crore was routed to I-PAC through hawala channels.
On January 8, 2026, the ED conducted searches at I-PAC’s office in Kolkata and related locations as part of the ongoing investigation.
The TMC has denied reports suggesting any disruption, stating that it is working with multiple agencies and that election preparations remain unaffected. Party leader Derek O’Brien stated that the organisation remains b and that there will be no impact on election readiness.
However, sources indicated that the developments have led to uncertainty among party workers and members of the strategic team ahead of polling.
On the legal front, the TMC has expressed concern that central security forces may take action against its workers during the election period. The party has approached the High Court seeking an urgent hearing on the matter. The case related to I-PAC is also reported to be under consideration in the Supreme Court.
