Kolkata, April 27 (IANS) The Trinamool Congress on Monday approached the Calcutta High Court accusing an Election Commission of India (ECI)-appointed police observer of holding a secret meeting with a BJP candidate in South 24 Parganas district before the crucial second phase of the two-phase Assembly polls on April 29 in West Bengal.

“The present writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India has been filed by the petitioners regarding serious misconduct by Mr Parmar Smit Parshomttamdas, IPS, appointed as a police observer for WBLA Election, 2026.

“That, despite occupying a position requiring strict neutrality and independence, he engaged in an undisclosed and unofficial meeting with Gour Ghosh, a BJP candidate from the 142-Magrahat (Paschim) Assembly Constituency, which falls within his assigned jurisdiction,” read the write petition filed by the Trinamool Congress on the matter.

In the petition, Trinamool Congress also alleged that despite being allotted an accommodation at the IPS mess at Alipore in South Kolkata, Parshottamdas, who replaced Hari Lal Chouhan as the police observer, deviated from protocol by staying at Sagarika Tourist Lodge at Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas district on April 20, where the alleged meeting between him and the BJP candidate took place.

“Evidence of this meeting is claimed to be captured in the CCTV footage annexed to the petition. The petitioner contends that such conduct violates established norms governing election observers, undermines the principles of neutrality, transparency and institutional integrity, and erodes public confidence in the fairness of the electoral process,” read the writ petition.

In the petition, Trinamool Congress had contended that given that the ECI-appointed observers should act as independent monitors to ensure free and fair elections, any engagement with political candidates in a private and undisclosed manner was presented as grave breach of duty warranting judicial enquiry.

In fact, Trinamool Congress General Secretary and the party’s Lok Sabha member, Abhishek Banerjee, on Sunday, said that the Trinamool Congress will approach the Calcutta High Court in the matter and so this was done accordingly on Monday.

–IANS

src/rad