ED’s action against targets linked to Prateek Jain, co-founder of political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, has created a political stir. Among the prominent people working behind the scenes in contemporary Indian politics, the name of I-PAC co-founder Prateek Jain is also included, whose house on Loudon Street and his Salt Lake office were raided by the ED team on Thursday (January 8, 2026) in connection with the money laundering case related to the coal scam.
After playing an important role in the war room of BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Pratik Jain started preparing the digital and ground discourse of Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections and firmly held its helm in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Prateek Jain was with PM Modi in 2014
There is a picture on social media platform Facebook dated May 16, 2014, in which a young man can be seen standing next to a victorious Narendra Modi along with his colleagues with a slight smile on his face. This was the same day when the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won a landslide victory in the Lok Sabha elections.
More than a decade later, Prateek Jain stands at the other end of India’s political spectrum and is the chief strategist of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), whom West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has publicly described as her party’s IT and strategy in-charge.
People who work with Jain say that for him, patience is not just a slogan but a political weapon, ‘a way of overcoming crises, waiting for public anger to subside and letting the debate die down on its own.’
In 2013, when the BJP was preparing to make Modi its prime ministerial candidate, Jain (poll strategist) was part of the core team led by Prashant Kishor. Despite being a lesser-known data and communications expert at the time, Jain gained fame among insiders for his expertise in not only electoral mathematics but also understanding the behavior of leaders, understanding their body language on camera, channeling anger and impatience through the television screen.
Prateek Jain took B.Tech degree from IIT Mumbai
Born in Jharkhand, Jain joined IIT Mumbai in 2008 and obtained a B.Tech degree in Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science. His early career was completely different from politics. After working as a trainee in a private bank, he worked as a data analyst in a multinational company since 2012.
After Narendra Modi became Prime Minister, Jain co-founded I-PAC and emerged as the key figure in its operations. He was less famous than Kishor, the face of I-PAC, but was equally important. Jain often gives credit for his success to his colleagues.
Also read: ‘Until Mamata Banerjee arrived with the police…’, ED makes serious allegations against Bengal CM regarding I-PAC raid
