'BJP Will Badly Lose': Akhilesh Yadav Backs WB CM Mamata After Showdown During ED Raid On I-PAC Chief’s House In Kolkata

Kolkata: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday backed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and said that the BJP is going to badly lose the state polls slated later in the year. Yadav was reacting to an ED raid on I-PAC founder Pratik Jain's residence. Pratik Jain is key member of Banerjee's poll strategy team.

“The BJP is badly losing Bengal. First proof!” Yadav wrote on X, responding to a post that highlighted the ED action in West Bengal.The probe agency reacted to the allegations made by Banerjee and said that the searches were not linked to elections but were instead part of a regular crackdown on money laundering.

Mamata Vs ED Reaches Court

Meanwhile, the ED has reportedly knocked on the doors of the Calcutta High Court, soon after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee barged into the home of political consultancy firm I-PAC’s chief, Pratik Jain and walked out with files and a cellphone, even as the probe agency was conducting raids.

The ED has alleged that the Chief Minister “obstructed” the process and took away key evidence.

On the other hand, Banerjee has accused the central agency of stealing Trinamool Congress (TMC) party documents. She also called the raids politically motivated.

The ED conducted searches at the residence of Pratik Jain, the I-PAC chief, in central Kolkata, and at the firm’s office in the Godrej Waterside building in Sector V, Salt Lake.

ED Reacts to Mamata's Allegations

The probe agency reacted to the allegations made by Banerjee and said that the searches were not linked to elections but were instead part of a regular crackdown on money laundering.