Lucknow: National president of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said his party supported simultaneous elections and was ready for the polls in 2019.
Speaking at the party headquarters in Lucknow, Yadav said, “One nation, one poll is good and we welcome it. Our party is ready to take on simultaneous polls in 2019. Also, we demand that the voter list is linked to Aadhaar to ensure fair and free polls.”
He said, “It seems that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made preparations to extend its regime. They have not thought about how regional parties will contest elections in such a short span of time. Big parties can fight elections with the help of management, but what about regional and small parties? However, if simultaneous polls are conducted soon, we are ready for that.”
Yadav also welcomed newly elected Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) MP from Kairana Tabassum Hasan and SP MLA from Noorpur Naimul Hasan at the headquarters.
On Tuesday, cabinet minister Sidharth Nath Singh submitted a report to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, suggesting implementation of simultaneous polls in the country in two phases. Uttar Pradesh officially became the first state to prepare a report on the issue.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi started a campaign for all elections to be held at the same time so that we don't spend five years on elections. Elections to state governments, Lok Sabha and bypolls at different times hamper development due to the implementation of the model code of conduct,” Adityanath had said.
“Only one voters’ list should be prepared. We constituted a team in Uttar Pradesh under the health ministry in this regard and asked them to see if it’s possible to hold only one election and link voters’ list to Aadhaar so that new voters are automatically added to the list when they turn 18,” the UP CM had added, according to news agency ANI.
Last year, election commissioner OP Rawat set the cat among the pigeons by stating that the commission would be ready for simultaneous polls by September 2018. He also added a caveat that this would not be possible unless certain “constitutional amendments” were carried out.
The law commission has also been discussing all aspects of the Constitution, law and other areas with experts on the issue of one nation, one poll. The commission has started considering legal, constitutional and practical possibilities and measures related to it. President Ram Nath Kovind also advocated simultaneous Lok Sabha and state assembly elections in his address to Parliament during the budget session.
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