NEW DELHI, Dec 13: Former President Ram Nath Kovind emphasized on Friday that the idea of conducting simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies originated from the vision of the nation’s founding fathers, rather than being a concept introduced by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Kovind noted that former President Pranab Mukherjee was in favor of simultaneous elections, believing the proposal could be realized through consensus or with a majority government.
The high-level committee led by Kovind, focused on the concept of ‘one nation, one election’, recommended that Lok Sabha, state assembly, and local body elections should be conducted simultaneously in a phased approach.
On Thursday, the Union Cabinet approved two bills for holding parliamentary and assembly elections together.
During his address at ‘Agenda Aaj Tak’, Kovind pointed out that a series of elections provides elected governments with approximately 3.5 years to deliver on their electoral commitments and address public expectations.
He proposed that simultaneous elections would grant governments additional time for effective governance.
When questioned about the absence of an opposition member on the committee, Kovind mentioned that initially, then Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhury had shown interest in joining and requested the government to send him an appointment letter. However, it appears he opted out after consulting with party leadership.
Kovind stated that during discussions regarding ‘one nation, one election,’ 32 political parties endorsed the initiative, while 15 opposed it.
“In a democracy, the majority should prevail. Hypothetically speaking, the views of the 32 parties that support this should be recognized by the nation, and the 15 dissenting parties should reconsider their stance,” he said.
Simultaneous elections were practiced in India from 1951 to 1967. The notion has been featured in numerous reports and studies since 1983, highlighting a return to the former practice of concurrent elections. (PTI)
