On his way to X, PM Modi praised former President Ram Nath Kovind who chaired the panel and said, “The Cabinet has accepted the recommendations of the High Level Committee on simultaneous elections. I commend our former President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji for leading this effort and consulting with various stakeholders.”
“This is an important step to make our democracy more vibrant and participatory,” added the Prime Minister.
The opposition, however, slammed the Modi government and called the Cabinet on “one nation, one election” a “cheap stunt”. The Congress called it an impractical idea which could not be implemented in a country like India.
Also Read: PM Modi hails cabinet decision on ‘one nation, one election’: ‘Important step for vibrant democracy’
‘It’s not practical,’ said Congress
Reiterating his stance, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said holding simultaneous elections was “impractical” and said elections should be called as necessary to preserve democracy.
“It’s not practical. It won’t work. When the elections come, and they don’t get any issues, they divert their attention from the real issues,” Kharge said.
“Elections should be held anytime in a democracy,” he said.
Congress leader KC Venugopal asserted that the INDIA bloc was against the decision to hold simultaneous elections and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of diverting people’s attention from real issues as state elections approached.
“One nation, one election is not practical in this country. They (BJP) also know this. They want to divert attention from the current issues. INDIA alliance is not voting,” said Venugopal.
‘Solutions in search of problems’: Owaisi accuses BJP of undermining federalism and democracy
In X, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi claimed that ‘one nation, one election’ would destroy federalism and democracy and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have a problem with multiple elections because of their “compulsive need to campaign in municipal and local elections. body
“I was constantly fighting One Nation One Elections because it is a solution in search of a problem. It undermines federalism and compromises democracy, which is part of the basic structure of the constitution,” Owaisi said.
“Multiple elections are not a problem for anyone except Modi & Shah. Just because they have a compulsive need to campaign in municipal & local elections, doesn’t mean we need simultaneous polls. Frequent & periodic elections increase democratic accountability,” he added.
‘Another cheap stunt’: TMC on one state election
Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien said the decision to hold simultaneous elections was just “another cheap stunt” by the BJP. Taking a swipe at the Centre, O’Brien said the government at the Center could not hold elections in three countries at once, instead talking about ‘one nation, one election’.
“One nation, one election is just another cheap stunt by the anti-democratic BJP. Why are the Maharashtra elections not announced at the same time as the elections in Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir? That’s why. The Maharashtra government announced the Ladki Bahin scheme in the June budget,” said O’Brien.
“And also tell us, how many constitutional amendments, including curtailing or extending the terms of the state Assembly, will be done! Classic Modi-Shah Jumla,” he said.
The BJP says simultaneous elections are needed for development; allies welcome the move
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party hailed the cabinet’s decision and said simultaneous elections were necessary for the development of the country and maintenance of law and order.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh said, “PM Narendra Modi has always chosen one country, one election. Discussions were held with all Chief Justices, political leaders, political parties, and chambers of commerce earlier, and now the cabinet has approved the recommendation. .”
“One nation, one election is needed for the development of the country and also to maintain law and order… Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi should say whether one country one election was in place before 1966,” he added.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav also welcomed the government’s decision and said it will strengthen the country’s democracy.
“Many political parties across the political spectrum really support the One Nation One Election initiative. When they interact with high-level meetings, they give their input in a concise and clear manner. Our government believes in building consensus on things that affect democracy and the nation in the long run. This is a topic, a topic that will strengthen our country,” Vaishnaw said.
Rejecting Kharge’s statement that ‘one state, one election’ is “impractical”, Vaisnaw said, “The opposition may start feeling internal pressure (about one state, one election) as more than 80 percent of respondents who responded during the consultation process have suggested .The positive support, especially the youth, they are very happy.”
Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) Chairman Chirag Paswan also praised the government’s move towards electoral reforms and said holding simultaneous elections across the country would reduce election costs and simplify the role of paramilitary forces, police and administrative officials.
In X, Paswan said, “By approving the proposal, the Central Cabinet has taken an important and historic step in the national interest today. In addition, it will increase transparency in elections and reduce the economic burden on the government’s coffers from a security perspective, will simplify the role of paramilitary forces, police, and administrative officials in elections.
“My leader and father, the honorable Ram Vilas Paswan, also supports the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal, and my party Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) supports this proposal,” he added.
Janta Dal (United) leader Sanjay Jha extended his support to the move and said “JDU is giving its full support to the one-state election plan of the NDA. By doing so, the state will not only avoid frequent elections but also the Center will focus on stable policies and evidence-based reform.
The Shiv Sena also supported the move and said it would promote national unity by synchronizing the election process.
“The initiative is expected to reduce the costs associated with elections and avoid policy paralysis that occurs when various elections overlap. By holding simultaneous elections, the country can focus on the long-term goals of economic and social development, so that the government remains effective during elected term,” said Party MP Shrikant Shinde.
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati also supported the government’s move and said, “Our party’s stand on the proposal approved today by the Central Cabinet to hold simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha, State Assemblies and local bodies under the ‘one nation, one election’ system is positive.” , but it is important that the goal is for the benefit of the nation and the public.”
The Cabinet gave its nod a day after Home Minister Amit Shah said that ‘one state, one election’ will be implemented for the next five years during the Modi 3.0 government. “The government plans to implement a single state poll during this administration,” he said at a press conference on Tuesday.
In his Independence Day speech last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also opted for ‘one country, one election,’ stressing that general elections are slowing down the country’s development. “The nation must come forward for ‘one nation, one election’,” Modi said during his speech from Red Fort, urging political parties to support this initiative for the country.
