Yashwant Sinha, a former Union Minister, has sharply criticized the Election Commission of India (ECI) for its ultimatum to the Trinamool Congress (TMC), stating that it reflects the influence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of behaving like a BJP member rather than an impartial overseer of elections. Sinha emphasized that the public expects the Election Commission to conduct fair elections. This criticism follows a meeting where the ECI assured that the upcoming elections in West Bengal would be 'fear-free, violence-free, and intimidation-free.' However, the TMC responded by questioning the Commission's neutrality. The ongoing tensions between the TMC and the ECI include allegations that the Commission is deleting voter names from the electoral rolls at the BJP's behest. Polling for the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will occur in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with vote counting scheduled for May 4.