India, April 20 -- Political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) has temporarily paused its ground operations in West Bengal for 20 days, citing "legal issues", according to an internal communication sent to employees, even as the Trinamool Congress (TMC), for which the organisation has been working, denied any disruption to its election campaign.

An email from I-PAC's human resources department, accessed by this newspaper, informed staff that "management has decided to pause operations in West Bengal with immediate effect" and asked employees to go on leave for 20 days, with a review scheduled by 11th May.

The pause primarily affects associate-level workers engaged in booth management, voter outreach, and field o...