Ajay Pal Sharma: Policing the Bengal Polls

APRIL 28, 2026 — In the high-stakes theater of West Bengal’s ongoing assembly elections, a single, sharp-edged appointment has ignited a firestorm, transforming the political atmosphere of South 24 Parganas into the center of a national debate.

Ajay Pal Sharma, a 2011-batch IPS officer from Uttar Pradesh, has found himself at the eye of a political storm just hours before the state heads into the second phase of voting. Appointed by the Election Commission (EC) as a police observer for the sensitive South 24 Parganas district, Sharma, widely dubbed as UP’s “Singham” or “encounter specialist,” has wasted no time in making his presence felt—and his methods have left the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) fuming.

The Viral Warning

The controversy ignited on Monday when a video surfaced on social media showing Sharma, accompanied by central forces, confronting the family members of Jehangir Khan, a TMC candidate from the Falta constituency.

In the clip, the officer is heard issuing a stern, no-nonsense warning regarding persistent reports of voter intimidation in the area. “Tell him, we’ll deal properly with him if his men continue to threaten… don’t cry or regret it then,” Sharma is heard telling the family.

For the BJP, the move was a welcome signal of intent. Amit Malviya, the party’s IT department chief, praised the officer, stating that Sharma had “wasted no time in setting the tone.” For the saffron party, the deployment of an officer with a reputation for tough, unconventional policing is a direct answer to their persistent allegations of lawlessness and voter suppression in TMC strongholds.

Who is Ajay Pal Sharma?

To understand the intensity of the reaction, one must understand the man himself. Born in Ludhiana, Punjab, Sharma’s trajectory is as unconventional as his policing style. A former dentist who traded the clinic for the police academy, he became a poster boy for the “tough” policing model championed by the Uttar Pradesh administration under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Throughout his tenure in districts like Rampur, Jaunpur, and Hathras, Sharma gained a reputation for being an “encounter specialist.” His career is marked by a long list of police encounters—he reportedly claimed at least nine encounter deaths and nearly 200 injuries to alleged criminals in a 2021 interview, though he has often downplayed the “specialist” label as a matter of professional circumstance rather than personal desire.

However, his career has not been without its shadows. Critics often point to allegations of staged encounters and even corruption cases from his time in UP, which political opponents are now weaponizing to question his suitability for neutral election duty.

A Clash of Political Narratives

The appointment has laid bare the deep ideological and regional divide between the BJP and its opposition.

The TMC has reacted with blistering indignation. Party leaders, including MP Mahua Moitra, have hit back at the “outsider” enforcement, essentially warning that the policing styles common in Uttar Pradesh would not find purchase in Bengal. “My Fair & Lovely boy—we’re the kind who can deal with both your ‘small Fanta’ and ‘big Fanta.’ So keep your heroics in check,” Moitra tweeted, signaling a defensive, combative stance.

The party officially labeled the move as an attempt by the BJP to tilt the electoral playing field, calling Sharma a “BJP agent” parachuted in to intimidate TMC workers.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, joining the fray from outside the state, echoed these sentiments. He slammed the deployment, calling it a part of an agenda-driven effort to use “unregistered underground members” disguised as officers. He warned that the actions of such officers would be subject to “thorough investigation” once the political dust settles.

Why South 24 Parganas?

The choice of South 24 Parganas for this deployment is far from random. It is widely considered a bastion for the TMC and a stronghold for Abhishek Banerjee, the party’s key strategist. By placing an officer known for “aggressive policing” in the heart of this constituency, the Election Commission has essentially placed a high-voltage fuse in a politically volatile region.

During his visit to Jehangir Khan’s residence, Sharma also discovered significant security irregularities. While the candidate is entitled to Y-category security, comprising 10 personnel, Sharma noted that 14 policemen were deployed on the premises—an discrepancy that resulted in an immediate notice to the local Superintendent of Police.

The Road Ahead

As the state prepares for the second phase of polling on April 29, the incident serves as a stark reminder of how high the stakes are. The Election Commission has kept 700 companies of central forces on standby, with 500 specifically earmarked for law and order, suggesting a high expectation of post-poll friction.

Whether Ajay Pal Sharma is an iron-fisted upholder of democratic fairness or a political tool of a polarizing agenda is a question that will be answered not in the court of public opinion, but in the final tally of votes and the state of law and order in the coming days. One thing is certain: in a state where political messaging is often synonymous with aggressive assertion, the arrival of UP’s “Singham” has ensured that the eyes of the nation will be firmly fixed on the ballot boxes of West Bengal.