Published 14:34 IST, November 26th 2020

PM Modi makes strong 'One Nation - One Election' pitch; argues why the country needs it

PM Modi while addressing the concluding session of 80th All India Presiding Officers Conference on Thursday emphasised the need of 'One Nation One Election'

India News
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing the concluding session of 80th All India Presiding Officers Conference on Thursday emphasised the need of 'One Nation, One Election.' He said that elections happening around the country every few months "hamper the developmental work" and separate voter lists for different elections "are a waste of time and resources." While the Prime Minister has spoken on this topic multiple times and consultations were held with multiple parties before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, this was his strongest pitch yet.

'We have to chalk out a path for this'

"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.

Last year, PM Modi made a fresh pitch for holding Lok Sabha and assembly polls together, saying the concept of 'One Nation, One Election' is imperative to make the country great.

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During his address to the nation on the 73rd Independence Day, he said, today India is talking about simultaneous polls which is a good thing. In 2018, the Law Commission had recommended holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies to save public money. The draft, submitted to the Law Ministry, however, cautioned that "holding simultaneous elections is not possible within the existing framework of the Constitution". The Centre has been toying with the idea for quite some time now.