As the electoral battle intensifies in North Kolkata’s Maniktala Assembly constituency, Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Shrreya Pandey has levelled serious allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing its cadres of attempting to “buy” TMC workers ahead of the polls.

Pandey, who is contesting from Maniktala to retain her father Sadhan Pandey’s political legacy, claimed that a TMC worker was recently approached by BJP members with lucrative offers to switch allegiance.

“One of our workers was asked what materialistic additions he wanted in order to turncoat,” she said, adding that the offer allegedly included a “1BHK flat, one Indica car or Swift Dzire, and cash”.

Framing it as a deliberate attempt to destabilise her campaign, the Maniktala TMC candidate alleged that BJP operatives were trying to induce defections by targeting grassroots workers.

“They wanted him to backstab us and join them, but sadly, our brother did not. Rather, he came to me and showed the evidence.” Pandey said, asserting that such tactics would ultimately fail.

She further claimed to possess “voice recordings and video recordings” as evidence of the alleged approach, but said she would not make them public.

“It will involve too many personal attacks and get immensely dirty,” she remarked, suggesting that releasing the material could escalate political tensions further.

Pandey also expressed little faith in institutional recourse, alleging bias in the system. “There is no point in going to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The ECI has been bought by the BJP. The same goes for the police,” she said, in a sharp attack that is likely to trigger political backlash.

The BJP has not yet responded to these specific allegations.

The Maniktala contest has emerged as one of the more closely watched battles in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.

Pandey, a relatively new face, is seeking to hold on to a seat long represented by her father, while BJP candidate Tapas Roy, a seasoned politician and former TMC MLA, is aiming to consolidate support and wrest control of the constituency.

With both legacy and political realignment at play, the stakes in Maniktala remain high. Pandey, however, struck a confident note, insisting that attempts to lure TMC workers with money and material incentives would not succeed.

“They are trying to pump in money and loot our workers, but they will never be successful,” she said.