NEW DELHI: The government is mulling to bring a resolution in the Lok Sabha in the ongoing budget session of Parliament for the simultaneous elections of the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies in deference to President Ram Nath Kovind’s call in his presidential address to Parliament on Monday to evolve a consensus among all parties.
An indication of such a resolution came at a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders here on Monday. The resolution will, however, have to wait for the second part of the budget session that starts on March 5 after a 3-week recess as the business in the first half is too tight to accommodate it.
There was, however, a thinking that the issue of the simultaneous polls can be made part of the motion of thanks to the President for his address to be taken up from Friday since it has been already flagged as an important issue in the presidential address.
The NDA leaders were told that the government would like to know the views of all parties and the MPs to build a consensus before going for a Constitution amendment. A debate on a resolution will bring out the views of all political parties to pave way for the Constitution amendment.
India has discussed ‘one nation one election’ idea for many years, starting with a Law Commission recommendation in 1999. A 2015 report by Parliament’s standing committee too suggested holding simultaneous election to save public money and end policy paralysis because of the impact of the model code of conduct.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been laying stress on the simultaneous polls since 2016, though his idea of full five-year term of the State Assemblies and no early dissolution or imposition of President’s rule may not be accepted by the opposition parties as a Congress leader says it would amount to “democracy for only one day in five years.”
At a meeting of the opposition leaders at the residence of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar, an apprehension was expressed that Modi may call for an early Lok Sabha election six months ahead by combining it with the Assembly elections due in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and advancing the Assembly elections in many other states.
