BREAKING: ED Reaches Abhishek Banerjee's Residence To Serve Summons, Stopped At Gate Amid Bengal Recruitment Scam Probe

Kolkata: In a dramatic development amid the ongoing investigation into the alleged recruitment corruption scam in West Bengal, officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday reached the residence of Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in Kolkata's Kalighat area to serve him summons in a money laundering case.

According to officials, a four-member ED team arrived at Abhishek Banerjee's Patuapara residence in Kalighat shortly after he left for the nearby residence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Sources said the ED team has been waiting outside the residence for over 15 minutes and has allegedly been prevented from entering the premises. Officials indicated that the agency's visit was aimed at formally delivering summons to the TMC leader in connection with its ongoing probe into the alleged recruitment scam and the suspected money laundering trail linked to it.

"The Enforcement Directorate reached Abhishek Banerjee's residence to deliver him summons in a money laundering case," officials said.

The development comes at a particularly sensitive moment for the ruling Trinamool Congress, which is grappling with an unprecedented internal crisis.

Meanwhile, in a major development, expelled TMC leader Ritabrata Banerjee was appointed as the Leader of the Opposition of West Bengal Assembly. Earlier during the day, he claimed the support of 58 MLAs and submitted a letter to West Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathindranath Bose, opposing the party leadership's choice of Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition.

The rebel faction had instead proposed Ritabrata Banerjee for the post of LoP, while seeking key positions in the Assembly for its supporters. The letter, which had been accepted by the Speaker, reaffirmed Mamata Banerjee as the party's leader.

The rebellion has raised the prospect of a major split within the TMC. With the dissident camp claiming the support of 58 legislators, it would cross the two-thirds threshold required under the anti-defection law, potentially paving the way for a formal breakaway faction.

Adding to the turmoil, the Trinamool Congress on Wednesday announced the immediate dissolution of all its committees in West Bengal and all frontal organisations as part of what it described as a comprehensive organisational overhaul.

In a statement, the party said it would undertake an exercise of introspection, performance review and organisational assessment before reconstituting its organisational structure.

The ED's move to serve summons on Abhishek Banerjee amid both the recruitment scam investigation and the deepening political churn within the TMC is likely to further intensify the political temperature in West Bengal.

More details are awaited.