Prime Minister Narendra Modi has re-emphasised on India’s need to have ‘One nation, One Election’. While speaking at the concluding session of 80th All India Presiding Officers Conference he said that the elections happening in any part of the nation within a span of every few months hamper the pace of development activities. He also pointed out that maintaining separate voters list for different elections were a waste of time. Before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections too, there were attempts made to reach out to a consensus on simultaneous polls.
“There is one more subject which is very important which is of ‘One Nation, One Election’. This isn’t just an issue of deliberation but also the need of the country. Every few months, there are elections happening in some or the other states. It hampers the developmental work and all of you know about it. For this, we must think seriously and office-holders can lead deliberations on this. Only one voter list should be used for Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha and other elections,” PM Modi said.
“We have to chalk out a path for this. Why’re we wasting time and money on these lists? Now, everyone above the age of 18 is eligible to vote. Earlier there were a few changes but now everything is clear. The time for complete digitization is here. The common man must have data for the functioning of every House and every House in the country should also have such data,” he added.
In 2018, Law Commission had submitted a report recommending simultaneous polls to save public money.
