New Delhi (Agency): Hours after former Indian President Ram Nath Kovind was given the role of leading a committee to explore the feasibility of “one nation, one election,” Sanjay Raut, a leader of the political party Shiv Sena, called the initiative a “conspiracy to postpone polls” in India.
Raut expressed his views to reporters, saying, “We need fair elections which are not happening now. The ‘one nation, one election’ proposal is a conspiracy to postpone elections.” He went further to criticize the governing BJP, claiming that they did not show respect to Ram Nath Kovind during his presidential term. “Now they are making him busy with a committee to explore the possibility of ‘one nation, one election,'” Raut added.
The leader also questioned the need for a special session of the Indian Parliament. This session is scheduled from September 18 to 22, coinciding with the Ganpati festival. “When regular sessions are on, the Prime Minister never attends the proceedings,” Raut claimed.
According to Raut, these actions by the central government are attempts to divert attention from the current meeting of the INDIA alliance, which is taking place in Mumbai. The INDIA alliance is a grouping of opposition parties aiming for a coordinated approach on various issues. “A chief coordination committee, research committee, campaign and agenda committee, and manifesto committee are likely to shape up,” informed Raut.
Vijay Wadettiwar, Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra assembly, also spoke about the situation. He said that the unveiling of the INDIA alliance’s logo would be postponed. The discussion in the meeting will be focused on setting up various coordination committees.
The ‘one nation, one election’ idea isn’t new; it has been supported by Prime Minister Narendra Modi since 2014. The rationale given is that having elections at all levels—local bodies, state, and national—at the same time would reduce the financial burden and interruptions to development work due to almost continuous elections.
The meeting of the INDIA alliance includes 63 representatives from 28 political parties and is happening at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Mumbai. Wadettiwar claims that the central government’s push for ‘one nation, one election’ is a response to the INDIA alliance meeting.