'I-PAC disruption could affect TMC's election campaign'

Raids of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday (January 8) on the office and residence of Pratik Jain, chief of Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) political consultancy in Kolkata, West Bengal, have placed the poll strategist at the centre of a political storm in the state, underscoring his critical role in shaping the ruling Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) electoral campaigns.

The political advocacy group has been associated with the outfit since mid-2019.

Also read: ED moves HC over Mamata’s ‘interference’ during I-PAC raids

Jain, an IIT Bombay alumnus, co-founded I-PAC alongside its better-known founder, Prashant Kishor, and is currently one of India’s leading political strategists.

I-PAC behind TMC's emphatic win in 2021 polls

The group is credited with the TMC’s spectacular victory in the 2021 Assembly elections in the state, reclaiming much of the ground it had lost to rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP’s surge in the general elections had prompted the TMC to hire the I-PAC.

Following the TMC’s decisive victory in 2021, Kishor decided to step back from the day-to-day management of the I-PAC, allowing the organisation’s senior team to take charge.

Also read: What is I-PAC and how is it connected with Mamata’s TMC?

Although I-PAC had continued its work with the TMC, Kishor indicated that he would no longer serve as the main strategist for the party, focusing instead on broader political projects and other strategic initiatives.

Jain rose as Prashant Kishor faded

According to grapevines within the TMC, relationships between Kishor, who has now floated his own Jan Suraaj Party, which contested last year’s Bihar Assembly polls, and several senior leaders of the Bengal-based party had severely deteriorated.

This led to the emergence of two power centres within the party — one comprising senior leaders favoured by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and the other consisting of relatively younger members supported by Abhishek Banerjee, her parliamentarian nephew and the party’s No.2.

After the tussle intensified, Kishor signalled his desire to “quit” active election management to pursue broader political ambitions and other strategic work even as the I-PAC’s contract with the TMC was extended.

Kishor’s departure made Jain the driving force of the organisation, though he preferred to work quietly behind the scenes.

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With experience in management consulting and financial services, Jain helped establish I-PAC as a consultancy specialising in data-driven political strategy, voter segmentation, booth-level analysis, and digital campaign management.

Closely associated with the TMC, he played a pivotal role in planning electoral strategies, managing campaign logistics, and guiding voter outreach efforts in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Under his direction, I-PAC has provided Mamata’s outfit with critical insights, from pre-election candidate lists to targeted digital messaging.

Thursday’s raids, reportedly linked to an old coal-smuggling case, were conducted at I-PAC’s Salt Lake office and Jain’s Loudon Street residence.

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Jain, often described by party insiders as soft-spoken and approachable, has been acknowledged within the TMC circles for anticipating and contributing to the party’s strong performance in the last Lok Sabha elections, despite forecasts and exit polls favouring the BJP. The TMC won 29 of the state’s 42 seats in that contest.

Under Jain’s leadership, I-PAC has been conducting widespread household outreach, local meetings, and targeted engagement initiatives to strengthen voter connections and boost turnout in the run-up to the ensuing Assembly elections.

Jain also heads the TMC’s IT cell, responsible for digital strategy and rapid response communication, making him a crucial figure in the party’s election campaigning, which now heavily relies on data analytics, online engagement.

I-PAC took over Mukul Roy's role

“Earlier, details of the party’s ground-level workers — even in remote and far-flung areas — and its strategies were stored either on Mukul da’s (former TMC general secretary Mukul Roy) phone or in his head. Now, they are on I-PAC’s laptops,” a TMC leader said in jest, underscoring the organisation’s growing importance and the central role played by its chief, Jain, in party affairs.

Also read: Mamata says she will move court on Tuesday against 'inhumane' conduct of SIR

Any disruption to I-PAC’s operations could thus impact TMC’s data-driven campaigning ahead of elections, expected in less than four months, she said.

The ED’s action could therefore have significant ramifications for the party’s poll preparations as well as the broader political narrative in the state.

Mamata, BJP cross swords

A war of words broke out between Mamata and the BJP following the raids. The former accused the Centre and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of misusing central agencies ahead of the state polls, while the saffron party hit back, saying she was interfering in a central investigation.

The ED also alleged that the chief minister entered the residence of Jain in Kolkata and walked away with “key” evidences, such as physical documents and electronic devices and moved the Calcutta High Court.