He said, “In the face of a certain defeat, they’ve tried everything including depriving Bengal of its rightful financial dues, sending 100s of companies of central forces to Bengal before the elections and influencing a sitting HC judge who resigned”.Gokhale alleged that the BJP “forced” Goel to “abruptly resign so that Modi and his one chosen minister get to appoint two out of three Election Commissioners days before Lok Sabha polls are announced”.Independent MP Kapil Sibal said it was a worrying development.”Way cleared to: Pack the Commission with Yes men. This applies to all institutions that are the foundations of our Republic!” he said on X.”To abruptly resign like this at the cusp of the Lok Sabha elections is something we should be worried about, because normally this would not happen. Maybe the reasons cited by him that he has resigned for personal reasons are genuine. But, it is unlikely,” Sibal said.”There is also a possibility that there was some element of disagreement between him and the chief election commissioner in the context of elections in West Bengal. I do not know the real reason, but that is speculation.”He alleged institutions in this country, including the Election Commission which is constitutionally obliged to ensure a free and fair elections, are being “slowly decimated”.”And, it has been decimated over the years and in the last ten years they have captured almost all institutions in this country,” the former union minister said, adding that the Election Commission is also one such victim.”In the last 10 years, it looks like the Election Commission has become an extended arm of the government,” he also said.
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