West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will lead a protest march on Friday against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids at the office of the political consultancy firm I-PAC, according to sources from her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

I-PAC is not only a political consultancy for the TMC but also manages the party’s IT and media operations. The protest march is scheduled to start at 2 pm, from Jadavpur 8B Bus Stand to Hazra More, the party sources said. They described the ED action as “politically motivated”, claiming it is intended to intimidate the ruling party ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.

The announcement of the march came after Banerjee personally visited the Kolkata residence of I-PAC chief Pratik Jain on Thursday while the ED was conducting its search. Banerjee alleged that the central agency was trying to seize internal TMC documents, hard disks, and sensitive digital data related to the party’s election strategy.

Speaking after leaving the premises, Banerjee accused the ED of acting under the influence of the central government to harass the ruling party in the state. She strongly criticised the agency for targeting the TMC at a sensitive time, just ahead of the elections.

On Thursday, the ED had conducted raids at two locations linked to I-PAC in Kolkata. The searches reportedly involved looking into records and digital data that the agency believes are connected to financial and political activities. The TMC has repeatedly stated that these actions are politically motivated and are being used to create pressure on the party and its workers.

Banerjee’s decision to lead the march is seen as an effort to mobilize party workers and supporters and send a strong message against what she calls the central government’s misuse of investigative agencies for political purposes. Party sources said the march will highlight the alleged harassment and show the TMC’s determination to stand firm against the central agency’s actions.