Shah to Law Commission: BJP for simultaneous polls, opposition to move politically-motivated

BJP president Amit Shah supported holding Lok Sabha and assembly polls simultaneously, dubbing the opposition to it politically motivated, and asserted that it will curb expenditure and ensure the nation is not in "election mode" throughout the year.

In a letter to the Law Commission today, Shah said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is committed to this idea and explicitly believes that in a progressive democracy like India elections should be held at a fixed time and for a fixed tenure so that people's representatives can carry out their duties effectively.

Shah's letter to the law panel was handed over by a BJP delegation which met the commission's top brass this afternoon.

Holding simultaneous polls is not merely a principle and it was also successfully practised between 1952 and 1967, he said, adding that several institutions, including the Election Commission, Law Commission and parliamentary committee, have supported it since then.

Shah said expenditure in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls was three times more than what was incurred in the 2009 elections, and that simultaneous polls can curb it.

He said the Model Code of Conduct was in force in Maharashtra in 307 of the 365 days in 2016 due to assembly and Lok Sabha bypolls and local elections, hampering development works.

Similar examples can be found in many states, he said.

Shah said simultaneous polls will strengthen the federal structure of the country.

He also pointed out that Prime Minster Narendra Nodi, President Ram Nath Kovind and former President Pranab Mukherjee have all supported the idea of "one nation, one poll".

For the best-possible legal framework, there is a need for an "open, free and frank" debate among parties and stakeholders, he wrote.

In his eight-page letter, the BJP chief said the opposition to simultaneous polls seems to be politically motivated.

The law panel, which is examining the feasibility of holding simultaneous polls, had earlier sought the views of political parties before finalising its report. Both the BJP and the Congress had stayed away from the consultation organised by the commission.

The Congress had met the commission top brass recently where it had opposed the concept of simultaneous polls.

A paper by the Law Commission had recently recommended holding the Lok Sabha and assembly polls in two phases beginning 2019.

Political parties are divided on the issue. Besides NDA constituent Shiromani Akali Dal, the AIADMK, the Samajwadi Party and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti have supported it.

The Congress, Trinamool Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, DMK, Telugu Desam Party, Left parties and the JD(S) have opposed the proposal.