second cash haul from West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee’s aide Arpita Mukherjee’s flat, this time one in Belgharia near Kolkata, has put the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress in a bind.

Last Friday, around Rs 22 crore was recovered from Mukherjee’s apartment in south Kolkata by the Enforcement Directorate. The amount unearthed on Wednesday’s ED raid was around Rs 28 crore, said sources, as the counting went on till about 4am on Thursday and the stash was taken away in 20 trunks. They added that cash was even recovered from the washroom.

Chatterjee is accused of irregularities in the recruitment of teachers and staff in state-sponsored and aided schools, being called the “SSC scam”. Trinamool MLA Manik Bhattacharya was also questioned by the ED in the matter. He left the agency’s office around midnight.

The TMC finds itself on the back foot and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been quick to seize the opportunity.