Photo used for representation purpose only. | Photo Credit: Sandeep Saxena Key ally Janata Dal(United) offered wholehearted support for the BJP’s push for simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, referred to as ‘one nation, one election’. Extolling its benefits, party national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said that it will ensure “continuity of policies”. The plan to reconcile the schedules for State and general elections has been on the BJP government’s agenda since 2014. A committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind constituted during the last term of the Narendra Modi government had recommended holding simultaneous elections followed by local body elections within 100 days. Mr. Modi reiterated his government’s commitment on the issue during his Independence Day address too.In a statement, Mr. Prasad said, “We believe that this will ensure continuity of policies in the country. Frequent elections hamper the pace of development plans and also cause other problems. We will get relief from these.”Mr. Prasad argued that it will increase voter turnout too and significantly reduce the government’s expenditure. The money thus saved can be used for developmental purposes. There is however a strong pushback from the Opposition. Senior Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien said that a government that is pushing for simultaneous Assembly and general elections is unable to hold even State Assembly elections together. He said, “One nation, one election is just another gimmick from the anti-democratic BJP. Why was the Maharashtra election not announced along with elections in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir? Here’s why. The Maharashtra government announced the Ladki Bahin scheme in its Budget this June. The first tranche reached the bank accounts of women in August. The second tranche is likely to reach beneficiaries in mid-October. You can’t do three States in one go!” Published – September 16, 2024 08:28 pm IST