Because the 2026 West Bengal Meeting elections draw nearer, the political ambiance is heating up not solely inside the election marketing campaign but in addition inside the Central Investigation Company.
Voting is scheduled to be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with central businesses such because the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Nationwide Investigation Company (NIA) stepping up investigations into high-profile instances involving main candidates of the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
4 TMC candidates have been summoned by central businesses for questioning over the previous one month over allegations starting from municipal recruitment rip-off to land grabbing expenses.
Fireplace Minister and Vidhannagar candidate Sujit Bose
Fireplace Minister Sujit Bose, a TMC candidate from Vidhannagar metropolis, was summoned by the ED on April 6 in reference to alleged corruption in appointments by non-public our bodies in a number of districts.
Bose has received three consecutive phrases from Vidhannagar. Within the 2021 polls, he defeated Sabyasachi Dutta of the BJP by a margin of round 8,000 votes.
The ED is probing the alleged switch of funds in multi-billion irregularities in native physique appointments throughout the state. Bengal has 123 Municipal Firms and seven Municipal Firms. A number of civic our bodies in and round Calcutta, together with South Dumdum Metropolis, Kamalhati Metropolis, Panihati Metropolis, North Dumdum Metropolis and Baranagar Metropolis, in addition to a number of municipalities in north Bengal, have come beneath scanner. The investigation by the ED was initiated on the premise of an FIR registered by the CBI following instructions from the Calcutta Excessive Court docket.
In 2023, the Calcutta Excessive Court docket ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation to research the alleged recruitment of 1,500 individuals by varied civic organizations between 2014 and 2018 in change for cash. The CBI had summoned him on August 31, 2023, for alleged irregularities in appointments in a number of native our bodies, significantly throughout his tenure as deputy chairman of South Dum Dum Municipality.
Following this, the ED has began an investigation into the traceability of funds associated to the case.
Bose was earlier summoned by the ED a number of occasions on this regard. In October 2025, the ED carried out a significant raid at his workplace, residence and different locations related to him in Salt Lake. He was then interrogated for a number of hours. In January 2024, the ED searched his residence and workplace for over 14 hours and seized paperwork and cellphones.
Final yr, Bose’s spouse, son and daughter have been known as up.
Madhyamgram candidate Ratin Ghosh
TMC stalwart candidate Rashin Ghosh was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on April 9 in reference to the continued investigation into the municipal recruitment rip-off.
Ghosh, a candidate from Madhyamgram Meeting seat, is the Meals and Provides Minister within the third Mamata Banerjee authorities. He was elected to the West Bengal Legislative Meeting from Madhyamgram in 2011, 2016 and 2021.
In October 2023, the Enforcement Directorate carried out a raid in reference to an investigation into alleged fraud in recruitment actions carried out by non-public organizations within the state. Emergency groups reached Ghosh’s residence at Michael Nagar, North 24 Parganas district and concurrently launched searches at 12 different locations in reference to the incident.
The ED alleged that between 2014 and 2018, round 1,500 individuals have been illegally recruited by varied public our bodies within the state in opposition to monetary grounds.
In April 2023, the Calcutta Excessive Court docket had directed the CBI to be aware of the ED’s findings within the college recruitment bribery rip-off probe and examine the alleged fraud in municipal recruitment in Bengal.
The ED advised the excessive court docket that widespread workers like Ayan Shir, who was arrested in reference to the varsity recruitment rip-off, have been additionally concerned in alleged irregularities in recruitment of clerks, cleaners, peons, drivers and many others in varied municipalities in Bengal.
The CBI had registered an FIR on this alleged rip-off on the orders of the Calcutta Excessive Court docket, after which Ghosh was requested to submit sure paperwork in reference to the case. That is the primary time Ghosh has been summoned in reference to the incident.
Present MLA and Rashbehari candidate Debashish Kumar
Debashish Kumar, TMC candidate from Rashbehari constituency in South Kolkata and member of the Mayoral Council of Kolkata Municipal Council (KMC), stated: Alleged to be associated to a land theft case involving a non-public development group He was summoned for questioning for the third time up to now 15 days with the help of the KMC.
He was interrogated for a number of hours on the ED workplace on March 30 and April 3.
A personal development group allegedly invaded the land and grabbed it with the help of the KMC, of which Kumar is a councilor.
Sources stated greater than a dozen FIRs have been filed in reference to the property acquisition, following which searches have been carried out.
Sources stated the ED had not too long ago searched the residences of businessman Amit Gangopadhyay and different companions of the corporate in query and recovered paperwork and cellphone conversations linking Kumar to the disputed property. In the course of the raid, authorities additionally seized a number of disputed property pictures and data despatched to Kumar. His title got here up in the course of the investigation.
Kumar’s title got here to gentle in the course of the investigation and he has been summoned 3 times within the final 15 days.
An ED official stated the company is investigating “why Gangopadhyay and his companion despatched pictures and details about the disputed land to Kumar”.
We’re additionally investigating whether or not Mr. Kumar had any involvement within the sale of the disputed property and whether or not any cash was exchanged, and if that’s the case, we plan to research any traces of cash.
Debashish Kumar received the 2021 meeting elections from Rashbehari constituency on an All India Trinamool Congress ticket with a margin of 21,414 votes. It’s one in all TMC’s bases. Earlier than Kumar, Sobhan Deb Chattopadhyay was the MLA from this seat from 2001 to 2011.
Bhagavanpur Candidate Manav Kumar Palua
Manav Kumar Palua, a first-time candidate from Bhagavanpur seat, appeared earlier than the Nationwide Investigation Company (NIA) on Thursday in reference to the 2022 blast case.
On December 3, 2022, three individuals allegedly related to the TMC have been killed in an explosion at a home in Naruavila village in East Midnapore’s Bhupatinagar district. The victims have been recognized as Raj Kumar Manna, a house owner and TMC’s native polling station chairman, and TMC workers Biswajit Gayen and Buddhadeb Manna.
The NIA took over the investigation from the state police in June 2023 following an order from the Calcutta Excessive Court docket.
On April 6, 2024, an NIA workforce visiting Bhupatinagar was allegedly attacked by a gaggle whereas making an attempt to arrest native TMC officers Manobrata Jana and Balai Charan Maity. An NIA official was additionally injured within the assault.
The NIA had filed a chargesheet in July 2024, naming the deceased and three others arrested in the course of the investigation: Panchanan Gorai, Manobrata Jana and Balai Charan Maity. Palua and one other TMC chief Nava Kumar Panda have been additionally named within the supplementary cost sheet filed in the identical month.
The Indian Specific contacted Palua, however he refused to touch upon the matter.
Palua labored in TMC for a number of years and began college politics from Bhagabanpur. He grew to become Sales space Chairman, Panchayat Member and Block Chairman of Zilla Parishad Members in 2018.
In the meantime, TMC spokesperson Arup Chakraborty accused the BJP of making an attempt to disrupt the candidate’s whole marketing campaign schedule. “That is nothing however an try to disrupt the schedule of a candidate who’s busy campaigning. It’s their determined try to tarnish the picture of the candidate. We’ve got seen what the BJP later did to Mr. Kejriwal (Arvind Kejriwal), however the court docket acquitted him saying he was harmless,” Chakraborty advised The Indian Specific.
“At TMC, we name these summons from the BJP ‘buddy requests’ as that is the age of social media. Folks like Tapas Roy and Suvendu Adhikari are those who settle for these buddy requests. Those that don’t settle for are harassed by these businesses. On January 12, 2024, Sujit Bose and Tapas Roy A raid was carried out at his residence. Tapas Roy, who accepted the buddy request, has grow to be their candidate this time.”He’s combating from Beleghata and Sujit Bose, who didn’t accomplish that, continues to be beneath summons, however I simply need to say that no quantity of summons can threaten the TMC as a result of it’s the people who find themselves on our facet,” Chakraborty added.
Voting for the West Bengal Meeting elections can be held in two phases on April 23, 2026 and April 29, 2026 for 294 seats. Voting will happen on 152 seats within the first stage and 142 seats within the second stage. Voting in Bidhannagar and Rashbehari can be held on April 29.
