The BRICS TimesIPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma known across Uttar Pradesh as a hard-nosed encounter specialist has been posted as a police observer in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas ahead of Phase 2 polls. His viral warning to a TMC candidate has ignited a fierce political storm, with the Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party accusing the BJP of planting its own agents inside the Election Commission’s machinery.
UP’s ‘Singham’ Arrives in Bengal And Sparks Instant Controversy
A UP police officer widely feared as an “encounter specialist” has walked straight into a political hurricane in West Bengal. The Election Commission deployed Ajay Pal Sharma, a 2011-batch IPS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre, as a police observer in South 24 Parganas TMC stronghold and home turf of Abhishek Banerjee. He arrived ahead of Phase 2 voting on April 29, which covers 142 constituencies across South Bengal. Days later, a video of Sharma went viral and all hell broke loose.
The Video That Set Off a Political Firestorm
In the clip shared widely by BJP West Bengal on X Ajay Pal Sharma confronts Falta TMC candidate Jahangir Khan’s supporters. The officer issues a blunt warning: anyone trying to threaten voters “would be dealt with properly.” He also directly addressed Khan’s family, urging them to prevent anyone from breaking the law. The video spread like wildfire and dragged the IPS officer into the centre of a BJP–TMC war of words.
TMC Fires Back, Calls Him a BJP Plant
The Trinamool Congress wasted no time going on the offensive. Party leaders questioned Sharma’s past record, pointing to allegations of involvement in a cash-for-postings scandal in UP where, they claimed, IPS postings were allegedly priced at ₹50 lakh for SP rank and ₹25 lakh for DSP. TMC leaders demanded answers on how someone with such serious allegations could be deployed as an election observer. They warned Sharma against crossing constitutional limits, arguing that law and order in Bengal must stay strictly within legal bounds.
Akhilesh Yadav Calls It a BJP Operation
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav jumped into the row with a sharp post on X. He wrote, “In W. Bengal, BJP has sent their tested agents in the name of observers to Rampur and Sambhal, but nothing will come of these. Didi is here, Didi will remain here!” SP leaders went further calling Sharma a “BJP-backed IPS officer” and challenging the Election Commission’s decision to deploy him. “The way the BJP has taken control over the ECI and the way the poll body is following the BJP’s orders, the people of Bengal are seeing,” an SP leader stated publicly.
TMC Candidate Jahangir Khan Breaks His Silence
Facing direct heat from the officer’s viral warning, Jahangir Khan hit back hard. “Around 3 pm yesterday, he came and tried to threaten my security at this party office. Then he went and tried to threaten my family. Is this the duty of a police observer? If he has to say something, he has to tell the SP or IC. There is no rule of the ECI that says that a police observer can go and threaten people at their houses,” Khan told news agency IANS. He further added, “To aid BJP these people are doing illegal things. They are trying to threaten TMC workers and leaders because they know that they won’t win but we are not afraid.”
BJP Stands Firmly Behind the Officer
The BJP defended Sharma’s conduct without hesitation. Party leaders called his deployment a step toward ensuring free and fair elections especially in a district long considered impenetrable TMC territory. BJP leaders praised his “zero tolerance” style and said his presence sends a clear, firm message: voter intimidation will not be tolerated during polling.
Who Exactly Is Ajay Pal Sharma?
Ajay Pal Sharma is a 2011-batch IPS officer and one of UP Police’s most talked-about names. The 41-year-old is currently posted as Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) in Prayagraj. He has previously served as SP or SSP across five districts including Shamli, Noida, and Rampur. During his 22-month stint as SP Jaunpur, he led a record 136 encounters the highest by any SP in any single district. That staggering number earned him the title of “encounter specialist.” Before joining the IPS, Sharma was a practising doctor a background that makes his policing career all the more striking.
Phase 2 Polls Set the Stage for a High-Stakes Showdown
With Phase 2 voting covering 142 seats across South Bengal including Kolkata the political stakes could not be higher. South 24 Parganas remains the prized territory of Abhishek Banerjee, and Sharma’s presence there has only added fuel to an already blazing pre-poll atmosphere. Both sides are digging in and the battle lines are sharply drawn.
