Diamond Harbour police observer held secret meet with BJP candidate: TMC's big claim
The Trinamool Congress alleged a police observer assigned to West Bengal's Diamond Harbour held a private meeting with a BJP candidate in a hotel room, terming it a breach of protocol. The charge surfaced a day before the first phase of Assembly polling.
The Trinamool Congress on Wednesday claimed that a police observer for West Bengal's Diamond Harbour held a secret meeting with a BJP candidate in a hotel room, calling the move a "disregarded protocol". The allegation came a day ahead of the first phase of polling for the Assembly election on Thursday.
Posting a video showing the alleged meeting between the police observer, Parmar Smit Parshottamdas, and Gour Sundar Ghosh, BJP's candidate from Magrahat Paschim, the TMC alleged a nexus between the Election Commission and the BJP. The clip also shows the police observer entering a hotel before the supposed meeting.
The party also claimed that Parshottamdas chose to stay at a hotel despite being provided official accommodation by the Election Commission and holding "private, unscheduled and unrecorded" meeting with the BJP candidate.
The BJP is yet to react to TMC's claim at the time of writing this story.
"Police Observer for Diamond Harbour, Parmar Smit Parshottamdas, has been caught red-handed. Despite being provided official accommodation at the IPS Mess in Alipore, Parshottamdas disregarded protocol entirely and chose instead to stay at Room 208 of Sagarika Hotel in Diamond Harbour, where he conducted a private, unscheduled, unrecorded, and entirely unofficial meeting with Gour Sundar Ghosh, BJP's candidate from Magrahat Paschim," the TMC wrote on X.
"A police observer appointed by the Election Commission of India, whose sole mandate is to ensure free and fair elections, was holding secret meetings with a BJP candidate in a hotel room, outside all official channels, in violation of every procedure and instruction the Election Commission itself has laid down. The BJP-ECI nexus is not a theory. It has now been documented, dated and located," it added.
The Election Commission has deployed 84 police observers across West Bengal, each tasked with monitoring multiple constituencies to oversee security and maintain law and order during the Assembly polls.
NANDIGRAM POLICE OBSERVER REPLACED
Earlier, the Election Commission on Tuesday replaced the police observer for the Nandigram Assembly constituency in Purba Medinipur district, just two days before polling in the politically significant seat, a senior poll panel official told PTI. Hitesh Choudhury, who was serving as the police observer for Nandigram, has been replaced by Akhilesh Singh.
The constituency is being closely watched as Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari is contesting the seat he won in 2021 after defeating Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. This time, bhabanipur-battle-mamata-banerjee-suvendu-adhikari-2883989-2026-03-19">Adhikari is also challenging Banerjee from the Bhabanipur seat in Kolkata.
The move to change the police observer came a day after the TMC accused the officer-in-charge of Nandigram Police Station of bias. In a letter to the police observer on Monday, the party alleged that complaints filed by its workers against BJP members were not being acted upon.
The Election Commission had earlier replaced observers in Malda and Jangipur as well.
Polling for the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will take place in two phases on April 23 and 29, with counting scheduled for May 4.
The TMC, battling a 15-year-old anti-incumbency, is seeking a fourth straight term, while the BJP is aiming to unseat Banerjee and form its first government in the state.
The Trinamool Congress on Wednesday claimed that a police observer for West Bengal's Diamond Harbour held a secret meeting with a BJP candidate in a hotel room, calling the move a "disregarded protocol". The allegation came a day ahead of the first phase of polling for the Assembly election on Thursday.
Posting a video showing the alleged meeting between the police observer, Parmar Smit Parshottamdas, and Gour Sundar Ghosh, BJP's candidate from Magrahat Paschim, the TMC alleged a nexus between the Election Commission and the BJP. The clip also shows the police observer entering a hotel before the supposed meeting.
The party also claimed that Parshottamdas chose to stay at a hotel despite being provided official accommodation by the Election Commission and holding "private, unscheduled and unrecorded" meeting with the BJP candidate.
The BJP is yet to react to TMC's claim at the time of writing this story.
"Police Observer for Diamond Harbour, Parmar Smit Parshottamdas, has been caught red-handed. Despite being provided official accommodation at the IPS Mess in Alipore, Parshottamdas disregarded protocol entirely and chose instead to stay at Room 208 of Sagarika Hotel in Diamond Harbour, where he conducted a private, unscheduled, unrecorded, and entirely unofficial meeting with Gour Sundar Ghosh, BJP's candidate from Magrahat Paschim," the TMC wrote on X.
"A police observer appointed by the Election Commission of India, whose sole mandate is to ensure free and fair elections, was holding secret meetings with a BJP candidate in a hotel room, outside all official channels, in violation of every procedure and instruction the Election Commission itself has laid down. The BJP-ECI nexus is not a theory. It has now been documented, dated and located," it added.
The Election Commission has deployed 84 police observers across West Bengal, each tasked with monitoring multiple constituencies to oversee security and maintain law and order during the Assembly polls.
NANDIGRAM POLICE OBSERVER REPLACED
Earlier, the Election Commission on Tuesday replaced the police observer for the Nandigram Assembly constituency in Purba Medinipur district, just two days before polling in the politically significant seat, a senior poll panel official told PTI. Hitesh Choudhury, who was serving as the police observer for Nandigram, has been replaced by Akhilesh Singh.
The constituency is being closely watched as Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari is contesting the seat he won in 2021 after defeating Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. This time, bhabanipur-battle-mamata-banerjee-suvendu-adhikari-2883989-2026-03-19">Adhikari is also challenging Banerjee from the Bhabanipur seat in Kolkata.
The move to change the police observer came a day after the TMC accused the officer-in-charge of Nandigram Police Station of bias. In a letter to the police observer on Monday, the party alleged that complaints filed by its workers against BJP members were not being acted upon.
The Election Commission had earlier replaced observers in Malda and Jangipur as well.
Polling for the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will take place in two phases on April 23 and 29, with counting scheduled for May 4.
The TMC, battling a 15-year-old anti-incumbency, is seeking a fourth straight term, while the BJP is aiming to unseat Banerjee and form its first government in the state.
