November 22, 2024 00:32 (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
PM Modi bestowed Dominica's highest award at India-CARICOM Summit | 69-year-old Delhi man, a St. Stephen's alumnus, arrested for conning govt officers by posing as ex-IPS | 'Baseless': Adani Group denies US charges of bribery and fraud against Gautam Adani | AAP's first list of candidates for Delhi polls feature six turncoats | PM Modi is incapable to arrest Gautam Adani: Rahul Gandhi after tycoon charged with bribery and fraud in the US
'One Nation, One Election': Modi govt forms Ram Nath Kovind-headed committee to discuss the agenda
Simultaneous Polls
PM Modi casting his vote in 2019 Lok Sabha polls | Photo courtesy: Twitter/Narendra Modi

'One Nation, One Election': Modi govt forms Ram Nath Kovind-headed committee to discuss the agenda

| @indiablooms | 01 Sep 2023, 12:55 pm

New Delhi/IBNS: The central government on Friday constituted a committee- to be headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind- to explore the possibilities of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s vision towards holding Lok Sabha and assembly elections across the country simultaneously, reports claimed.

The report emerged a day after the government called a special session- to be held between September 18 to 22- but nothing on the agenda was spelt out officially.

Prime Minister Modi, a proponent of holding all elections simultaneously, had earlier called for "One Nation, One Election" that, he claims, would prevent the country from always being in the election mode which halts the "developmental works".

Modi, who is committed to the idea of 'One Nation, One Election', reiterated his wish for a discussion on the agenda in his first Independence Day speech after getting re-elected for the second term in 2019.

While BJP, a party which has expanded across India over the last few years in the Modi era, wants the country to plunge into the election mode once in five years, the Opposition argue the country's ruling party aim to steamroll the regional parties, which are perceived as weaker in mass and money as compared to the national outfits.

Discussion begins amid Opposition's regrouping

As timing becomes key in politics, the Centre's calling of a special session and the constitution of the committee comes at a time when over 20 opposition parties have grouped themselves to form an alliance- named INDIA- to take on the mighty BJP and its poster boy Narendra Modi in the 2024 General Elections.

The party's leaders of INDIA alliance are presently in Mumbai to strategise for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, which will give Modi a chance to become the Prime Minister for the third term.

'One Nation, One Election' not new in India

In the first few years since India's Independence, elections were held simultaneously. Polls were held across India together in 1952 and 1957.

The cycle of election broke first in 1959 after then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru uninstalled the Communist government in Kerala through Article 356.

In another instance in 1967, several state governments formed by the defectors of Congress fell due to instability resulting in further rupture of the 'One Nation, One Election' mode.

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.