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Though his party decided not to attend the all party-meet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss One Nation, One poll, Congress leader Milind Deora said that the idea of ‘one nation, one election’ should be given a consideration.
“I am yet to see evidence which suggests that if the election to Vidhan Sabhas is held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections, it will help the party that is in power nationally,” he said in a statement.
“Only recently, along with the Lok Sabha elections, the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh elected members to their respective Vidhan Sabhas. Two out of the three states elected parties that are not even in an alliance with the BJP,” he added.
“India’s 70-year electoral journey has taught us that Indian voters are aware, informed and can differentiate between the state and the Central elections. Our democracy is neither fragile nor immature and the debate of ‘one nation, one poll’ calls for an open mind on either side of the spectrum,” he said.
Deora said that being in continuous election mode disrupts good governance and distracts politicians from the real issues that need to be addressed.
“The Union government’s proposal to hold simultaneous elections is worthy of debate. We must not forget that until 1967, India conducted simultaneous polls,” he said.
