In a setback for the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on the eve of the first phase of polling, I-PAC on Monday temporarily suspended all its operations in West Bengal with immediate effect, citing ongoing “legal issues”.In a mail to all its staff, the HR team has also requested its “employees and team leaders” to go on a “short leave for 20 days”. The management said in view of certain legal developments, it had decided to pause operations in the state with immediate effect. The organisation said it fully respected the law of the land, was cooperating with the ongoing process, and remained confident that justice would take its due course.Against this backdrop, all employees and team members had been requested to avail a short leave for a period of 20 days. The management added that by the end of this period — on May 11 — it would regroup, review the situation and decide on the next course of action.The HR team also assured employees that they could reach out in case of any queries, and expressed appreciation for their cooperation, patience and understanding during this period.The decision by I-PAC comes in the wake of the arrest of Vinesh Chandel, co-founder of the company, by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) last week. He was arrested in a case linked to alleged hawala transactions involving funds received from political parties and other entities. The arrest was strongly condemned by the TMC, which called it a “deeply alarming” development just days ahead of the West Bengal elections. The party also demanded Chandel’s immediate and unconditional release and the withdrawal of central agencies from the state ahead of the elections.