Kolkata, 22 April (H.S.): Amid the ongoing West Bengal Assembly elections, the Enforcement Directorate has issued fresh summons to two Trinamool Congress candidates and state ministers, Sujit Bose and Rathin Ghosh.

According to sources, both leaders have been asked to appear before the central agency on April 24 in connection with an alleged irregularities case related to municipal recruitment.

Notably, polling for the second phase will be held on April 29. Sujit Bose is contesting from the Bidhannagar Assembly constituency, while Rathin Ghosh is in the fray from Madhyamgram. The latest summons, issued during the peak of election campaigning, has added to the political heat in the state.

Sources said this is not the first time the two leaders have been called by the Enforcement Directorate. They have reportedly appeared before the agency on several previous occasions.

On one earlier occasion, Sujit Bose’s son had reportedly visited the central office carrying required documents on his behalf.

Apart from Bose and Ghosh, another Trinamool Congress candidate, Debashis Kumar, has also reportedly received multiple summons during the election period. Income Tax officials had also carried out a search operation at his residence earlier.

The repeated summons and raids have triggered sharp political reactions in the state.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has alleged that central agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate, are being used during the elections to disrupt opposition campaigning.

She claimed that repeated summons were being used as a strategy to keep candidates occupied and away from campaign activities.

However, no official response has yet been issued by the central agencies regarding these allegations.

The latest development has sparked fresh political controversy in West Bengal ahead of the next phase of polling.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh