The Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on One Nation, One Election, Member of Parliament P. P. Chaudhary, today said that holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies would strengthen governance, reduce expenditure and benefit the country’s economy.
Addressing mediapersons in Goa, Mr. Chaudhary said, the 41-member committee, representing all major political parties, is touring states to gather views from governments, political parties, constitutional experts, civil society and other stakeholders. Goa is the ninth state being visited by the committee.
He clarified that One Nation, One Election does not mean polling across the country on a single day. Instead, Lok Sabha and Assembly elections would be conducted in phases, but only once every five years.
The JPC Chairman claimed that simultaneous elections could add nearly seven lakh crore rupees to the economy by reducing repeated election-related expenditure and administrative disruptions. He said frequent elections affect governance, education, tourism, investment and industrial production, as government machinery remains engaged in election duties.
Mr. Chaudhary also said, former Chief Justices of India, constitutional experts and economists who appeared before the committee have broadly stated that the proposed legislation is consistent with the Constitution and is not against the federal structure or democratic principles. He added that the committee will consider suggestions received from across the country before submitting its report.
