Kamal Ghorui
KOLKATA: A political bubble burst during the West Bengal polls after Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra shared archived videos purportedly showing a man dancing at a nightclub. Moitra shared a couple of videos on X showing a man grooving to music at what appeared to be a nightclub, and tagged the officer, calling him a “Fair and Lovely babua”. She wrote, “Good to see you enjoying yourself… Hope your policing skills are better than your dancing skills.” A BJP spokesperson, however, declined to comment, saying the post “speaks of her own taste”. The post comes in the backdrop of a political row involving Sharma, a 2011-batch Uttar Pradesh-cadre IPS officer deployed as an observer by the Election Commission of India for the second phase of polling in West Bengal. Sharma, known for his tough policing image and often dubbed ‘Singham’, had earlier triggered controversy after a purported viral video showed him warning alleged “troublemakers” of “appropriate treatment” if they attempted to disrupt polling in South 24 Parganas’ Falta constituency. The development drew sharp reactions from the ruling Trinamool Congress, which accused the officer of “intimidating” party workers and overstepping his mandate as an observer. Protests were reported outside the residence and election office of TMC candidate Jahangir Khan, where Sharma had reportedly visited. Senior TMC leaders alleged that observers are meant to act as the EC’s “eyes and ears” and not take direct action on the ground. The party said it would lodge a formal complaint with the poll body. The controversy also spilled into a broader political slugfest, with remarks from leaders across parties. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav termed Sharma a “BJP agent”, while the BJP dismissed Moitra’s social media post, saying it reflected her “own taste”. Poll officials maintained that observers are deployed to ensure free and fair elections, with Sharma among 95 such officers on duty during the phase. The veracity of the viral videos—both of the alleged warning and the nightclub clip—could not be independently verified.(With PTI inputs)
