Patna, Apr 12 (PTI) Making a strong pitch for simultaneous elections, Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday asserted the need for “tough steps” to bring to an end to “polls being held every few months, impeding the nation’s progress”.

Addressing a symposium at a Patna-based college, Chouhan also pointed out that elections were held simultaneously for Lok Sabha and state assemblies “until the 1960s when Congress committed the sin of dismissing governments in states which were ruled by other parties”.

“Our critics allege that we want ‘one nation, one election’ because it will benefit our party. They seem to underestimate the intelligence of the voters. There have been instances of people voting differently for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha in places where polls were held simultaneously,” the BJP leader said.

He cited the example of Odisha in 2019, when people “voted for Prime Minister Narendra Modi while electing Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal for yet another term in power in the state”.

“It was only five years later that the BJP succeeded in clinching power in the state as well,” he said.

The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said, “It must be understood that when the Model Code of Conduct is in force in a state, all development work comes to a grinding halt. Even school teachers and Anganwadi workers are engaged in voters’ list updation.” Since it is public money that is expended on elections, it is the duty of all citizens, not just political leaders, to raise awareness about the need for ‘one nation, one election’, Chouhan said, adding that young students can make use of their social media networks to this end.

“Constitutional amendment for ‘one nation, one election’ is going to be a tough call. Its implementation would entail extending the term of some state assemblies while curtailing the tenure of a few others. But it will be a one-time inconvenience after which things will fall in place,” he asserted.

“Let us first work towards having simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha and all the state assemblies. Later on, we may club panchayats and local bodies as well,” the Union minister added. PTI NAC ACD