Row erupts as TMC alleges ‘secret’ meet between EC observer, BJP candidate
Times of India | 23 April 2026
Kolkata: Trinamool Congress on Wednesday sparked a fresh political row ahead of the first phase of the Bengal assembly elections, accusing an Election Commission-appointed police observer of holding a "clandestine" meeting with a BJP candidate.
The party in power alleged that the observer, Parmar Smit Parshottamdas, bypassed official protocol to meet Gour Sundar Ghosh at a hotel in Diamond Harbour.
In a formal complaint to the Chief Election Commissioner, TMC claimed that Parshottamdas, assigned to the Diamond Harbour police district, was supposed to stay at the IPS Mess in Alipore. Instead, he allegedly checked into Room 208 of Sagarika Hotel, a govt-run facility, to conduct "private, unscheduled, and unrecorded" discussions.
The party also shared purported video footage on the social media platform X showing the observer entering the hotel and meeting the BJP representative. Senior TMC neta Derek O'Brien, along with local candidates Shamim Ahmed and Pannalal Haldar, demanded the observer's immediate removal and the appointment of a neutral official for the constituency.
"A police observer, whose sole mandate is to ensure free and fair elections, was holding secret meetings with a BJP candidate in violation of every procedure. The BJP-ECI nexus is now documented," TMC stated. The party also alleged that the commission was ignoring its complaints while filing "false cases" against TMC workers at the behest of the opposition.
The BJP, however, rejected the allegations. BJP candidates Deepak Haldar and Gour Sundar Ghosh said the meeting was held through official channels to raise concerns that TMC workers were obstructing their campaign. They maintained the interaction was a legitimate appeal for security and not a breach of protocol.
The EC has deployed 84 police observers across the state to monitor security and law and order during the polls. It has yet to take a formal decision on Parshottamdas, but the controversy has heightened tensions in South 24 Parganas just hours before polling begins.