The PM asked the CMs and deputy CMs of all BJP-ruled states to ‘start preparing’ for Lok Sabha and all state assembly polls to be held simultaneously.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has once again asserted that India should adopt the principle of ‘one nation, one election’. Speaking to chief ministers and deputy CMs of all BJP-ruled states Wednesday, Modi said the leaders should “start preparing” for a situation where the next Lok Sabha elections are held simultaneously with polls to all state assemblies.
Even party chief Amit Shah held a detailed discussion on suggestions that have poured in from different states. The chief ministers were asked to build an atmosphere for one election —titled ‘Panchayat se Parliament tak’.
While there are several constitutional and procedural constraints in holding simultaneous elections, Modi’s words have got the party wondering if the PM has something more than just an idea in his mind.
It’s not just the PM – several senior BJP and RSS functionaries have talked about the plan, saying it would take the country out of the “vicious cycle” of an election every other month, while also saving a lot of money.
A few months ago, at a meeting of the NITI Aayog, the PM devoted more than half his 35-minute address to ask experts, bureaucrats, policy makers and politicians to build a consensus among the political parties to accept the idea.
In January, BJP MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, who is also chairman of the Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini Trust, claimed that his trust had been given the responsibility to build consensus among parties through dialogue.
However, several constitutional experts say unless the Constitution is amended, the idea will remain just an idea.
Chief Election Commissioner O.P. Rawat has indicated that in case Parliament amends the law, the Election Commission is ready to conduct simultaneous polls in 2019. But experts say this is easier said than done.
For one, amending the Constitution in itself is a big ask, especially because the NDA does not enjoy the requisite two-thirds majority in either house of Parliament; it doesn’t even have a majority in the Rajya Sabha.
But, after Wednesday’s signal from Modi and Shah, the BJP brass feels the duo may now be seriously contemplating ways to implement the idea.