Kolkata, 20 April (H.S.):
A fresh political stir has erupted in West Bengal ahead of the Assembly elections after I-PAC, the political consultancy firm handling campaign strategy, reportedly decided to suspend its operations for 20 days. According to sources, employees engaged in campaign-related work received an email late Saturday night directing them to proceed on leave for 20 days.
When the matter surfaced on Sunday, the Trinamool Congress initially attempted to dismiss the reports, calling them false. However, by late evening, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee acknowledged that I-PAC had indeed halted its work temporarily. Following this, the ruling party swiftly moved to deploy an alternative campaign team.
Sources said the development had caused concern within the Trinamool leadership, particularly with polling for 152 Assembly seats scheduled for Thursday. However, the party maintained that its own trained professional team had already been active and would now take charge of campaign management, booth coordination, and election-day monitoring.
The backup team, reportedly operating under the supervision of Abhishek Banerjee’s office, had already been working in several districts. It has now been entrusted with greater responsibilities. Booth-level WhatsApp groups are being formed to ensure the rapid sharing of data such as voter turnout percentages, the sealing time of voting machines, and local ground updates.
Meanwhile, uncertainty has reportedly gripped I-PAC employees. In several districts, transport arrangements for staff were said to have been withdrawn. Against this backdrop, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said at a public rally that she would not allow anyone to become unemployed.
“Those who work for us are being intimidated. If they are removed, we will give them work. Not a single young person will be left unemployed,” Banerjee said.
It is noteworthy that pressure on several I-PAC functionaries has reportedly increased in recent months following enforcement actions by the Enforcement Directorate. In its internal communication, the organisation cited legal reasons for the temporary suspension of operations.
The Trinamool Congress has officially stated that its campaign is continuing as planned and that there has been no disruption. However, political observers believe the temporary withdrawal of I-PAC could influence electoral calculations in the state.
Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh
