Simultaneous polls mother of all reforms: BJP MP

New Delhi, Jan 17 : Favouring the idea of holding simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections in states, BJP’s Rajya Sabha member and ICCR President Vinay Sahasrabuddhe on Wednesday said such an electoral reform will prove to be the “mother of all reforms”.

“Simultaneous elections is a major democratic reform that the nation is awaiting for decades. Hence, a nationwide discourse to build a consensus on the issue is the need of the hour,” the Bharatiya Janata Party leader told reporters here.

“And once the idea of ‘One Nation, One Election’ is approved after discussion with people and political parties, it will prove to be the mother of all reforms,” said Sahasrabuddhe, also the Vice Chairman of Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini (RMP).

The RMP is holding a national seminar on ‘One nation, One Election’ issue in Mumbai on January 20 and 21, he said.

The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) chief said that exploring the possibility of simultaneous elections remains a difficult proposition, yet it is a solution to all problems related to multiplicity of elections in the country.

“This massive democratic reform will free the nation of a permanent election mode and increase the pace of good governance,” he said.

The BJP MP’s remarks came in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for simultaneous elections.

“The Prime Minister has talked of simultaneous elections, while the then President Pranab Mukherjee has also favoured the idea,” he said.

Sahasrabuddhe clarified that the idea of holding simultaneous elections should not be seen as the agenda of a particular party but as a major democratic reform.

He said that due to “permanent elections” in some part of the country many developmental projects are stalled.

“L.K. Advani as the Deputy Prime Minister had also highlighted as to how governance is hampered due to elections in one or the other part of the country,” he said.

The BJP leader said that the proposed seminar will be attended by Niti Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, former Lok Sabha Secretary General Subhash Kashyap, Baijayant Panda of the Biju Janata Dal, and K.C. Tyagi of the Janata Dal-United.

“We have sent the invitation to the Shiv Sena and the Congress as well,” he said.

He said hazards of multiplicity of elections, issues related to concept and implementation vis-a-vis simultaneous elections, no-confidence and house dissolution, aligning local elections with general elections and experiences of simultaneous elections abroad will be discussed.

The organisation will prepare a report and submit it to the government, the BJP MP said.

IANS