BJP favours #OneNationOneElection ; Amit Shah writes to Law Commission for simultaneous polls
New Delhi, August 13: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Amit Shah on Monday wrote a letter to Law Commission reiterating the party’s support to one nation, one poll. This comes two days after the Election Commission proposed holding one election a year as an alternative to simultaneous polls.
India is a democratic country and elections are an integral part of democracy. Therefore, elections take place every now and then in India whether it is of centre, state, corporation etc which needs the excess of money and huge man-power. Continuous elections only waste money and manpower too. This can be curbed but the only way is “One Nation-One Election”.
Favouring “One Nation, One Election”, BJP President Amit Shah wrote a letter to the Law Commission and urged to hold Assembly polls and Lok Sabha polls together. Talking to the reporters, BJP’s National General Secretary Bhupender Yadav said, “We have notified Law Commission about our party's support for simultaneous elections in country. It would reduce expenses significantly and the repetitive use of election machinery. Necessary amendments to Constitution should take place.''
“There are over 9 lakh 30 thousand poll booths and over 1 crore workers are posted during polls. Rs 16-1700 Cr were spent in 2011 polls and Rs 4000 Cr in 2014 polls. One Nation One Election would reduce the cost. This exercise has been successful in several countries,” he added.
On June 17 this year, PM Modi, while addressing the governing council of NITI Aayog on June 17, had called for a widespread debate on holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies and said if implemented, it would result in savings.
However, NITI Aayog had last year suggested synchronised, two-phase Lok Sabha and Assembly polls from 2024. The Law Commission's draft paper titled "Simultaneous Elections - Constitutional and Legal Perspectives" has recommended amendments to the Constitution and the Representation of People's Act, 1950 to facilitate and sustain the concept of simultaneous polls.
Reacting to it, Congress has called the idea misplaced and CPI said it is against federal structure of the Constitution. Meanwhile, Biju Janata Dal chief and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik backed the idea.
