Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declared the raids political vendetta and accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of getting the ED to raid the I-PAC, which is engaged by the TMC to provide political consultancy, to bag the information about her party's move and strategy for the upcoming elections. The Congress and AAP showed the support to the TMC. While the BJP lashed out at the TMC supremo, alleging her of interfering in an ongoing investigation by a central agency. On the other hand, the TMC MPs, led by Derek O’Brien, staged a surprise protest outside the Union Home Ministry office against recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) actions in Kolkata. The MPs expressed grave concern and agitated as they raised slogans accusing the Centre of misusing central investigative agencies to target opposition parties. Those who marked their presence at the protest were Mahua Moitra, Derek O'Brien, Satabdi Roy, Bapi Haldar, Saket Gokhale, Pratima Mondal, Kirti Azad, and Dr Sharmila Sarkar. Visuals from the protest site showed MPs holding placards reading, "Bengal rejects Modi-Shah's dirty politics." The ED, however, stated that the raids were conducted as part of an investigation linked to individuals who were allegedly involved in drawing proceeds from coal smuggling.

CONGRESS ENGAGES RESTIVE DK IN ASSAM ELECTION OBSERVER ROLE

The Congress has appointed Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel and former Jharkhand MLA Bandhu Tirkey, as the party’s senior observers for the upcoming Assam assembly elections. Speaking to the press in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said he had not much choice but to accept the responsibility disseminated by the party leadership. The appointments come close on the heels of Lok Sabha MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra being named chairperson of the Congress screening committee for Assam. Shivakumar, Baghel and Tirkey are considered close to Vadra. With this announcement, the party high command has given a clear signal that it is not in the mood to take up the issue of a leadership change in the state. Sources said the high command is also involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in campaigning in Kerala to consolidate the AHINDA vote bank. With senior observers now in place and alliance talks underway, the Congress is expected to step up its campaign planning and coordination in Assam as the state heads toward a high-stakes electoral contest.

SHAH EYES BIGGER SHARE IN TAMIL NADU SEAT-SHARING PIE, AIADMK IRKED

In a significant development, the BJP has officially demanded the sharing of power in Tamil Nadu ahead of the Assembly elections, seeking for Cabinet representation in the event of an alliance victory. During the meeting with AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), Home Minister Amit Shah is assumed to have sought a greater share of Assembly seats for the BJP by flaunting the party's impressive 11 per cent vote share secured in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls when it led an alliance of its own. According to sources, Amit Shah also emphasized that O. Panneerselvam and T.T.V. Dhinakaran also should be inducted into the NDA fold and that seats will be shared from the 56 the BJP gets. According to AIADMK insiders, the Palaniswami did not heed to these demands and the talks with Shah on seat-sharing in Delhi remained inconclusive. However, Palaniswami reiterated that rebel leaders Panneerselvam and V.K. Sasikala will not be inducted into the party.

DILIP GHOSH, SUVENDU ADHIKARI ABSENT FROM REJIGGED BJP BENGAL UNIT

With the 2026 Assembly elections inching closer, the BJP’s West Bengal unit declared its long-delayed state committee, effecting a prominent organisational reshuffle aimed at energising the party ahead of a high-stakes contest. The newly-constituted state committee has been formed under the leadership of BJP's veteran leader Shamik Bhattacharya, who was recently elected as the new state president. As part of the revamp, 12 leaders have been appointed as vice-presidents. The list includes former Union minister of state for home affairs Nishith Pramanik, MP Manoj Tigga and MLA Agnimitra Paul. Trinamool Congress turncoat Tapas Roy has also been accommodated as a vice-president, while Raju Bandopadhyay, who had earlier complained of being given second fiddle treatment within the party, has also been included in the committee. However, the name which were missing were of former state president Dilip Ghosh, Leader of Opposition in Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, and former state BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar. The omission of Dilip Ghosh has particularly drawn attention, especially as Union home minister Amit Shah had recently urged him to play a more effective role during his visit to the state. Following Shah's remarks, Ghosh had intensified his political activities, making his exclusion from the new committee a cause of debate within party circles. (IPA Service)

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