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Simultaneous polls: four parties for, nine against; BJP, Congress views to come later

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Simultaneous polls: four parties for, nine against; BJP, Congress views to come later

As the two-day consultation held by Law Commission on the issue of holding Lok Sabha and assembly polls simultaneously ended on Sunday, four political parties supported the idea and nine opposed it.

The two major national parties — the BJP and the Congress — stayed away from the Law Commission’s deliberations. The BJP has, however, written to the Law Commission Chairman, Justice BS Chauhan, stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always argued in favour of simultaneous polls and sought time to submit their detailed response later.

Justice Chauhan is learnt to have asked that all representations be submitted by July 31.

The Congress said it would firm up its stand on the issue only after talking to allies and other political parties.

The NDA ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the AIADMK, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) supported the idea.

BJP’s ally Goa Forward Party opposed the concept as did the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), DMK, Telugu Desam Party (TDP), CPI, CPI (M), All India Forward Block (AIFB) and the Janata Dal (Secular) (JD-S).

The DMK, JD-S, and AAP were strongly opposed to simultaneous elections and argued that the move was against “basic tenets of the Constitution.”

The TDP said while the One Nation-One Poll may be a “good idea”, it was “incompatible with the Constitution and impracticable.”

DMK Working President MK Stalin’s letter, submitted by party MP Tiruchi Siva, pointed out, “The Working Paper does not seem to have considered that the Lok Sabha is also capable of being dissolved before its five year tenure. If such a situation were to happen, it is unclear whether all Legislative Assemblies will also be dissolved to synchronise the electoral process again.”

“In a federal democracy you cannot think of simultaneous elections. This is a futile exercise. First and foremost poll reform should be to put a ceiling on expenditure but no one’s talking about it,” senior JD-S leader Danish Ali told The Hindu and added that the proposal was aimed against smaller regional players.

The SP, TRS, AAP, DMK, TDP, JD (S) and All India Forward Block met the Law Commission to put forth their views.

The SP, represented by Ram Gopal Yadav, supported the concept. But Yadav made it clear that the first simultaneous poll should be held in 2019, when the term of the 16th Lok Sabha comes to an end.

If simultaneous polls are held in 2019, the tenure of the Yogi Adityanath’s BJP government in Uttar Pradesh will be shortened.

AAP’s Ashish Ketan told the law panel that simultaneous polls are a ploy to keep people away from forming a government as the terms of houses will be extended if the two polls are held together.

He also dubbed the idea as a move to impose “managed democracy” in the country, a senior law panel functionary present in the deliberations, said.

He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be governing the country and not addressing rallies if simultaneous polls are held.

In a written response to the law panel, Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao said his party supports the idea as months are spent preparing for polls throughout the year. B Vinod Kumar, who represented TRS at the meeting, said the analysis that local issues would be overshadowed by national issues if simultaneous polls are held, is incorrect. He gave examples of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to drive home the point that voters cast ballot keeping in mind both national and local issues.

The TDP also opposed the idea, saying, “Simultaneous elections are no longer feasible in a vast country like ours with different political complexities of the assemblies. It is not possible to cut short the tenure of the Parliament and Assemblies. Simultaneous elections are incompatible with the Constitution and are also impracticable.”

The DMK, JD-S and AIFB also opposed the concept.

JD-S representative Danish Ali told the law panel that the idea is against federal democracy. He said if the government is interested in electoral reforms, it should first implement earlier law panel reports on election reforms and then discuss simultaneous polls.

Yesterday, Shiromani Akali Dal had supported the concept, saying it would reduce expenditure of parties and shorten the period of the model code of conduct which hampers development work.

The AIADMK, represented by Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambi Durai, had said holding the two polls together is “desirable” but certain “practical” and “serious” issues need to be settled first.

The AIADMK, which rules Tamil Nadu, was of the view that if necessary, simultaneous elections should be held in 2024 and not before that. Sources said the party was also of the view that the TN Assembly should be allowed to complete its term and the Lok Sabha elections should be held as per schedule.

The TMC Congress was represented by Kalyan Bandhopadhyay, a Lok Sabha member, at the meeting. His party too had opposed the concept saying, regional issues would be overshadowed by national issues, and national parties with their “money power” would steal a march over smaller players.

The CPI, AIDUF and Goa Forward Party also expressed similar views.

The CPI(M) had last week told the Law Commission that holding Lok Sabha and Assembly polls together is inherently “anti-democratic” and negates the principles of federalism which is a fundamental feature of Constitution.

CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury had written to the panel, listing the party’s objections to the proposal stating that it goes beyond the ambit of law reform entailing major amendments to Constitution, and would run against both the “letter and spirit of our Constitution”.

Yechury had said that it “may not be necessary” that his party attends the consultation.

Seeking to give shape to the government’s concept of “one nation, one election”, the Law Commission’s internal working paper has recommended holding the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls simultaneously but in two phases beginning 2019.

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At Congress meet, Kharge blames internal bickering, statements against own party leaders for election losses

Kharge noted that the atmosphere was in the Congress’ favour during the elections but pointed out that just the atmosphere being in its favour does not guarantee victory.

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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday asserted that the internal bickering in the party and statements against own party leaders were among the reasons for the loss of the grand old party in the recently concluded Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana.

Noting that statements against own party leaders harm the party a lot, Kharge said that tough decisions will have to be taken, accountability be fixed and shortcomings removed by learning lessons from the election results.

In his address during the Congress Working Committee meeting at the AICC headquarters, Kharge highlighted the EVMs issue and said that the EVMs have made the electoral process suspect, stressing it is the constitutional responsibility of the Election Commission to ensure free and fair elections in the country.

“Unless we fight elections unitedly and stop making statements against each other, how will we be able to defeat our opponents politically?” the Congress president said.

“Therefore, it is important that we strictly follow discipline. We have to remain united under all circumstances. The party also has the weapon of disciplining. But we do not want to put our comrades in any bondage,” he said.

“Therefore, everyone needs to think that a victory of the Congress party is our victory and a defeat is our defeat. Our strength lies in the strength of the party,” the Congress president said.

He also noted that the Congress made a comeback with new enthusiasm riding on its performance in the Lok Sabha polls and said the election results of three states were not as per the party’s expectations.

“INDIA parties formed the government in 2 out of 4 states. But our performance was below expectation. This is a challenge for us in terms of the future,” he said.

“We need to immediately learn from the election results and correct all our weaknesses and shortcomings at the organisational level. These results are a message for us,” he said.

Kharge noted that the atmosphere was in the Congress’ favour during the elections but pointed out that just the atmosphere being in its favour does not guarantee victory.

“We will have to learn to convert the atmosphere into results. What is the reason that we are not able to take advantage of the atmosphere?” he said.

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BJP says it stands for credibility of promises under PM Modi, Congress for crisis

Trivedi mockingly questioned whether Kharge was truthful in his statements made the previous day, implying that his critiques of the BJP were a reaction driven by pressure to reconcile his earlier remarks.

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The BJP said on Saturday that it stood for the credibility of promises made under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, while labeling the Congress party as one suffering from a crisis of credibility, intensifying their ongoing rhetorical conflict over unfulfilled electoral pledges.

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said that the ruling party has expanded its welfare initiatives, including health insurance, free food grains, and cash transfers to farmers, emphasising a strategy focused on wealth creation followed by equitable distribution as the Indian economy has grown over the last decade.

“We believe in the creation of wealth and its distribution. The Congress fosters corruption and depletes wealth,” he stated, referencing numerous unfulfilled promises made by Congress-led governments across various states.

Following Mallikarjun Kharge’s remark labeling “Modi ki guarantee” as a cruel joke after Modi seized Kharge’s guidance on budgetary constraints in state poll announcements, the BJP launched new accusations.

Trivedi mockingly questioned whether Kharge was truthful in his statements made the previous day, implying that his critiques of the BJP were a reaction driven by pressure to reconcile his earlier remarks.

Trivedi highlighted several accomplishments of the Modi government, including the construction of the Ram temple, the abrogation of Article 370, the building of over 14 crore homes for the impoverished, the establishment of more than 51 crore Jan Dhan accounts, and a firm stance against terrorism from Pakistan, to demonstrate the government’s fulfillment of its commitments.

He noted that Kharge, having witnessed notable leaders like PV Narasimha Rao and Pranab Mukherjee manage economic challenges effectively, is now observing the Congress party struggling under the influence of urban Naxals due to Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

Addressing Kharge’s criticisms on various issues, Trivedi pointed to data from the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) indicating a rise in account holders from 11 crore to 25 crore over the past decade.

He also referenced significant infrastructure projects, such as the construction of homes for the poor, 74 new airports, and an impressive pace of 37 kilometers of road built per day, claiming that these initiatives have created substantial employment opportunities.

“India is now ranked third in auto manufacturing and second in mobile phone manufacturing; if anyone is unable to recognize the country’s progress, there is a profound deficiency in their perspective,” asserted the BJP spokesperson.

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Maharashtra elections: Congress says Mahayuti understands its exit is certain

Congress leader Sachin Pilot, also an observer of the Congress party for the Maharashtra elections, said that the ruling Mahayuti alliance is aware that its exit is imminent.      

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The Congress on Wednesday asserted the ruling Mahayuti government in Maharashtra has understood that its exit is certain as the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance is strong and that all its candidates are in a strong position for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state.

Congress leader Sachin Pilot, also an observer of the Congress party for the Maharashtra elections, said that the ruling Mahayuti alliance is aware that its exit is imminent.      

The Congress leader stated that the party is fully prepared and that its ally parties in Maharashtra are strong. He mentioned that the seat-sharing negotiations occurred in a positive atmosphere and that the ruling party has recognized that their exit is inevitable.

“All the candidates of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) are in a strong position. The people here have decided to support Congress and its allies in the upcoming Assembly elections,” he said.

He also noted that the alliance’s performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections was impressive. “Wherever Congress contested, our candidates won 80 percent of the seats. We expect this trend to continue,” he added.

Pilot acknowledged that there have been some differences among party members regarding specific seats but assured that those issues would be resolved in the next 2-3 days, ensuring there would be only one candidate from the MVA for each seat.

Earlier in the day, Ramesh Chennithala, Congress in charge of Maharashtra, slammed the BJP, claiming that the party is undermining its alliances in the state.

“The BJP is dismantling its alliances. They are forcefully converting alliance partner candidates into their own party candidates. The people will respond to this,” he stated while speaking to reporters.

Earlier on October 26, Chennithala alleged that crores of rupees have been reportedly offered to two of its MLAs to join Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction, ahead of state Assembly elections.

Chennithala made those allegations while speaking to reporters in the national capital. He also questioned the Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Voting for all 288 constituencies for the Maharashtra Assembly elections are set for November 20 and counting on November 23. In the 2019 Assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena 56, and the Congress 44. In 2014, the BJP secured 122 seats, the Shiv Sena 63, and the Congress 42.

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