ED Raid on I-PAC Ignites Bengal Politics: Will Mamata Banerjee Benefit in Assembly Elections?

Kolkata, January 9, 2026: With West Bengal gearing up for elections to its 294-member Assembly in three months, political tensions have escalated following the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid on the office of I-PAC, a private consultancy involved in election strategy. The development has opened a new chapter in the state’s corruption narrative, with the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seeking to shape the public discourse to their advantage.

Mamata vs ED: A Rare Confrontation
TMC chief Mamata Banerjee directly intervened during the raid, marking a rare instance of a sitting Chief Minister openly confronting the ED. Accompanied by a security detail, Banerjee first visited I-PAC director Pratik Jain’s residence, emerging with a laptop and a “green file” before proceeding to the 11th floor of the Godrej Waterside building, where the ED was conducting the search. The five-hour-long standoff included temporary suspension of the building’s lifts, attracting intense media attention.

Banerjee alleged that the ED was attempting to seize documents related to TMC’s election planning on behalf of the BJP. TMC MPs demonstrated before the Ministry of Home Affairs, accusing the central government of misusing investigative agencies to interfere in the state’s political process.

BJP Seizes on Corruption Narrative
The BJP, however, has framed Banerjee’s presence at the I-PAC offices as a corruption issue, claiming she was attempting to destroy evidence. BJP MP Dr. Sambit Patra stated that Banerjee had turned Bengal into a state operating beyond the reach of Indian law. The party plans to highlight alleged corruption, governance failures, and law-and-order concerns in its campaign, shifting focus from personal attacks on Banerjee to institutional issues of her government.

High Court and Legal Battles
Both the ED and TMC have approached the Calcutta High Court over the raid. The ED has sought permission to intervene in the investigation, while TMC has challenged the validity of the search, questioning the legality of the action against a private consultancy. The court’s decision is awaited, but the narrative of “Mamata Banerjee vs Amit Shah” has already dominated the state’s political discourse.

Opposition Parties Also Question Banerjee’s Role
CPI(M) West Bengal state secretary Mohammad Salim also criticized Banerjee’s intervention, questioning why a Chief Minister would involve herself in a private company’s raid. He alleged political collusion, claiming the true beneficiaries of the 2020 coal scam, which led to the ED raid, were being shielded while the drama surrounding the CM’s presence overshadowed the facts.

Election Implications
Analysts suggest that the I-PAC raid and Banerjee’s visible defiance may become a central issue in the upcoming Assembly elections. While TMC seeks to portray the episode as misuse of central agencies, the BJP aims to consolidate anti-TMC sentiment around corruption and governance failures. With left parties also questioning the CM’s actions, the controversy is likely to remain a dominant electoral narrative in West Bengal.