During the West Bengal Assembly elections, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) accused Police Observer Parmar Smit Parshottamdas of conducting a 'private, unscheduled, unrecorded, and entirely unofficial meeting' with BJP candidate Gour Sundar Ghosh and other BJP leaders at Sagarika Hotel in Diamond Harbour on April 20, 2026. The TMC lodged a complaint with the Election Commission (EC), asserting that Parshottamdas violated protocol by not using the official accommodation provided to him. The party shared videos purportedly showing the Police Observer entering the hotel and meeting BJP leaders. Police Observers, appointed by the EC, are Indian Police Service (IPS) officers responsible for monitoring election-related activities and ensuring law and order. They cannot be from the local police force. The BJP refuted the TMC's claims, stating that the meeting was conducted officially to address campaign-related issues. EC sources confirmed that the meeting occurred at a designated official venue, dismissing allegations of secrecy.