Election Commission: Neutral Umpire or Twelfth Man?

#rajdeepsardesai #straightbatwithrajdeep

This is election season in India and I want to raise a contentious issue by posing a simple direct question: is the Election Commission a neutral umpire or is it the 12th man for the party in power? This is an issue that might raise hackles: am I casting aspersions on the independence and autonomy of the commission. Well, yes and no. No, I have great respect for the institution of the election commission but Yes, I intend to question whether the commission has been de-fanged in recent times and rendered toothless.