PM pushes for simultaneous polls

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday once again pushed for one nation-one election and suggested that the Election Commission prepares a single voters’ list for the Lok Sabha, Assembly and Panchayat polls because separate lists are a “waste of resources”.

‘Need of the hour’

Addressing the concluding session of All India Presiding Officers Conference, Modi called for simultaneous elections and common voters’ list at every level — from Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabhas to the local Panchayats.

He said digital innovations in the fields of legislatures should be taken up in real earnest for this.

“One nation-one election is not just a matter of debate, it is the need of the hour. Elections are held at different places every few months. The effect it has on development work is known to all. The issue needs to be studied and presiding officers can the guiding force for it,” said the PM.

Administration support

The issue of simultaneous elections has been flagged on many occasions by the PM himself. It gained traction after the NITI Aayog prepared a working paper on the subject in January, 2017.

The Election Commission too has been largely supportive of the view and the discussions have been around synchronising assembly polls where the schedules overlap or are in proximity.

However, the Opposition is against this view.