Report on holding simultaneous Par, state polls in Nov: House

A Parliamentary committee, looking into the feasibility of holding simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, today said it will submit its report in November this year.
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice is headed by Rajya Sabha MP, EM Sudarsana Natchiappan of Congress.
Highlighting the features of the simultaneous polls, the Congress MP said that the elected government could perform better and implement their promises within the period of five years and issues like code of conduct would not come into the picture and delay in government's performance could be avoided.
Natchiappan was here to seek the opinions of regional political parties of Punjab and Haryana on having simultaneous polls as part of electoral reforms.

"Common people feel that there should be lesser elections and more performance by the government. Therefore we are thinking that instead of people having to face elections every year, let us work out some feasibility of simultaneous polls," Natchiappan said here today.
"We went through different parts of India and interacted with people and also political parties and we could think about at least two phase elections within a five year period so that one election will be (held) with the Parliament (polls).

"It will be around in 18 states which are having polls six months before or one year before Parliament elections and six months after or one year after Parliament polls can be clubbed together," he said.

"Similarly, if we take two-and-a-half year cut off date after Parliament polls, all other states can be clubbed together and the state assemblies can go for the election," Natchiappan said.
He was accompanied by other MPs including Bhagwant Mann of AAP, P P Choudhary and Anshul Verma of BJP.
He said the Parliamentary Standing Committee has been discussing with national and regional parties. In Chandigarh, it held meeting with representatives of SAD, INLD and Haryana Janhit Congress.
"We will conclude our report and submit in November 2015 to the Parliament," he said.
Asked about opinions of political parties on the issue, Natchiappan said that their opinion could not be revealed as the are confidential.

"But we can say every political party likes to have simultaneous polls," he said.
He told that the country witnessed simultaneous polls of Lok Sabha and state assemblies in the year 1952, 1957, 1962 and 1967.