RSS favours proposal to hold simultaneous elections in country

RSS is of the view that simultaneous elections will save public money and the nation's time as under the prevailing system, the country remains in "election mode" throughout the year.

New Delhi: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is of the view that simultaneous elections will save public money and the nation’s time as under the prevailing system, the country remains in “election mode” throughout the year.

The RSS also believes simultaneous elections will help in seamless implementation of development work which gets affected due to frequent elections and imposition of the Model Code of Conduct by the election commission to ensure free and fair polls, multiple sources told PTI.

---

“It’s good for the country if all elections are held simultaneously. It will help save the public money and also the nation’s time,” one of the sources said. “Holding frequent elections not just costs dearly but it also keeps government employees engaged in poll duties and hinders development works due to imposition of the model code of conduct,” the source added.

As a matter of fact, holding simultaneous elections in the country is the “wish” of the framers of the Constitution, another source said.

“That’s why they had made a provision for simultaneous elections in the Constitution. India started its journey with this system of election after Independence. But it was unfortunately changed later for political reasons which must be corrected now in the best interest of the country,” the source told PTI.

The issue of simultaneous elections has kicked up a nationwide debate with the government constituting a committee headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind to explore the feasibility of “one nation, one election”, opening the possibility of Lok Sabha polls being advanced so that they could be held with a string of state assembly contests.

Sources said on Friday that Kovind will explore the feasibility of the exercise and the mechanism to see as to how the country can go back to having simultaneous Lok Sabha and state assembly polls, as was the case till 1967. He is expected to speak to experts and may also consult leaders of different political parties, they said.