Political tension has reached a boiling point in Birbhum ahead of the Assembly elections. BJP candidate Jagannath Chattopadhyay has alleged a massive ₹100 crore scam in the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) within Ward No. 9 of Siuri Municipality. He claimed that funds meant for beneficiaries between 2019 and 2022 were siphoned off by TMC members or taken as ‘cut money.’ Jagannath vowed to expose 20 such corruption cases in the next 20 days.

Responding to the allegations, TMC candidate and Siuri Municipal Chairman Ujjwal Chattopadhyay threw an open challenge, stating he would withdraw his nomination if the BJP could prove even a single charge against him.

Meanwhile, the nomination filing process turned into a battlefield in Siuri and Bolpur. A fierce ‘slogan war’ erupted between TMC and BJP supporters, with chants of “Jai Bangla” clashing with “Jai Shri Ram.” The situation escalated near the TMC office in Siuri, necessitating the deployment of massive police and central forces. With corruption charges and street-level aggression, the electoral battle in Birbhum has taken a volatile turn.