Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Sunday questioned the impartiality of the Election Commission of India after Arun Goel’s abrupt resignation as election commissioner ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“The Constitution, which has three pillars – Executive, Legislature, Judiciary, is the base of democracy,” Sibal told reporters, highlighting the foundational principles of India’s governance structure. “The election commission’s role is to ensure that the elections are conducted in a free and fair way,” he continued.

Reacting to Goel’s departure, Sibal, a seasoned politician and legal luminary, minced no words in his criticism of the institution tasked with overseeing the democratic exercise.

“In the last 10 years, it looks like the election commission has become an extended arm of the government,” he said.

In a post of X, Sibal wrote, “Way cleared to: Pack the Commission with Yes men. This applies to all institutions that are the foundations of our Republic !”

Also Read: Why did Arun Goel resign as election commissioner? What happens next?

Goel’s resignation comes at a time when preparations for Lok Sabha elections are in full swing, with the Election Commission holding meetings with top Home Ministry and Railway officials on the deployment and movement of security personnel across the country.

Arun Goel’s resignation left the Election Commission of India with only one of its three top officials to conduct what will be the largest exercise of the democratic franchise in human history.

Congress general secretary organisation K C Venugopal said in a post on X, “It is deeply concerning for the health of the world’s largest democracy that Election Commissioner Mr. Arun Goel has resigned on the cusp of the Lok Sabha elections.”

There is absolutely “no transparency” in how a constitutional institution like the ECI has been functioning and the manner in which the government pressures it, he said.

During the 2019 elections, Ashok Lavasa had dissented against a clean chit to the PM for violating the Model Code of Conduct, he said.