Indian Election Commission under attack

Just one more phase left of the marathon elections process and, I think, most would agree that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has done a fantastic job. Check out the list of complaints that have been handled by the ECI. Possibly the commission has been more busy enforcing discipline on parties and candidates in these elections than ever before. Given that most people agree that 2014 elections have been the most fractious, this is not surprising. Sadly, no party's behaviour has been beyond reproach. However, only the TMC and the BJP seem to have had an open confrontation with the ECI. After resisting the ECI orders to to transfer some officers, Mamata Bannerjee submitted to its authority (see here). The confrontation between the BJP and the ECI is more worrisome. Narendra Modi in an interview to TimesNow correctly and in a dignified manner stated: "We feel that constitutional institutions must be respected. The Election Commission should be given the utmost respect. That is why, we should not think of adopting unconstitutional means against the Election Commission". This is what one would expect from someone who might well be the Prime Minister of the country in a couple of weeks. However, the abuse being heaped on the ECI by Modi and others in the background is disconcerting to say the least. Modi has stated "The Congress must understand. The people have defeated you, the Election Commission can't make you win". This is an unfortunate attack on the sanctity of a constitutional authority and the accusation is not one of incompetence: it is an accusation of partiality to the Congress. This certainly does not bode well for the future. It has been said that hawkish positions before elections are just so much grand-standing and that, after elections, hawks become more like doves. I certainly hope so.