BJP Alleges TMC Issuing Fake Press Cards; TMC Accuses BJP of Poll Code Violation
21 hours agoPolitics
33LENS
4 SourcesWest Bengal, India
TBNthebalanced.news

BJP Alleges TMC Issuing Fake Press Cards; TMC Accuses BJP of Poll Code Violation

Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal, alleged that the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) is issuing fake press identification cards to its workers to access polling stations and influence voters in the 2026 Assembly elections. He claimed political consultancy firm I-PAC is involved in this scheme. In response, TMC accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of violating the poll code by distributing financial assistance forms under the 'Matrishakti Bhorsa Card' scheme, calling it electoral bribery.

Political Bias
47%31%22%
Sentiment
30%
AI analysis of 4 sources · Published under editorial oversight by The Balanced News
Analysed 17 Apr 2026· How this analysis is produced· Editorial standards· Corrections

AI Analysis

Political bias across 4 sources
● Left 47%● Center 31%● Right 22%

The articles present allegations from BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari accusing TMC of issuing fake press cards, while also including TMC's counter-accusation against BJP for poll code violations involving financial assistance schemes. Both parties' claims are reported without endorsement, reflecting the political contest between ruling and opposition forces in West Bengal ahead of elections.

Sentiment — Negative (30/100)

The overall tone is neutral to contentious, focusing on mutual accusations between BJP and TMC during the election period. Coverage highlights allegations and counter-allegations without expressing judgment, maintaining a factual and balanced presentation of the political dispute.

How 4 sources covered this story

Each source's own headline, political lean, and sentiment — so you can see framing differences at a glance.

SourceTheir headlineBiasSentiment
thetelegraphSuvendu Adhikari seeks probe into Trinamool role in fake press credential issue in BengalCenterNegative
thehinduTrinamool Congress issuing fake press cards to its workers to influence voters: BJP's Suvendu AdhikariCenter-leftNegative
theprintTMC issuing fake press cards to its workers to influence voters: BJP's AdhikariLeftNegative
indiatodayAssembly Election 2026 Live: Mamata Banerjee to hold virtual meeting with Trinamool MPs todayCenter-leftNegative

Coverage timeline

indiatoday broke this story on 17 Apr, 05:58 am. Other outlets followed.

  1. 1
    indiatoday17 Apr, 05:58 am
    Assembly Election 2026 Live: Mamata Banerjee to hold virtual meeting with Trinamool MPs today
  2. 2
    theprint17 Apr, 06:30 am
    TMC issuing fake press cards to its workers to influence voters: BJP's Adhikari
  3. 3
    thehindu17 Apr, 07:00 am
    Trinamool Congress issuing fake press cards to its workers to influence voters: BJP's Suvendu Adhikari
  4. 4
    thetelegraph17 Apr, 10:33 am
    Suvendu Adhikari seeks probe into Trinamool role in fake press credential issue in Bengal

Lens Score breakdown

33/100
Public interest0/100
Coverage gap90%

Well-covered story — coverage matches public importance.

Accountability flags

TBN's analysis identified the following accountability dimensions in this story.

  • electoral malpractice

    This story involves alleged interference in elections — voter suppression, booth capture, misuse of machinery, or funding violations.

Who's involved

Institutions and figures named across source coverage.

Political
Bharatiya Janata PartyTrinamool Congress

Story context

Category
Politics
Location
West Bengal, India
Sources analysed
4
Last analysed
17 Apr 2026
Key entities
Trinamool CongressSuvendu AdhikariWest BengalBharatiya Janata PartyLeader of the OppositionPolling stationBhabanipur, West Bengal Assembly constituencyNandigramKolkataPress Trust of IndiaBengalIndia