Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar Criticizes BJP’s ‘One Nation, One Election’ Proposal
New Delhi [India], September 19: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday criticized the BJP’s ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal, saying that it is practically not possible. “The Congress party does not believe in One Nation, One Election, practically it is not possible…They want to ease out all the state parties. They feel that only national parties should survive. In the federal structure, you cannot do that. They are taking a big risk. The Congress party completely opposes,” Karnataka Deputy CM Shivakumar said.
Stating that multiple elections hindered government functions, BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal on Thursday expressed strong support for the one nation, one election initiative. Emphasizing that the ongoing elections hindered the government process, Jaiswal highlighted that the multitude of elections not only disrupts government operations but also stalls vital national development. “I want to congratulate the Prime Minister and the entire cabinet for making a significant decision. The country faces constant anxiety due to elections happening year-round. With multiple elections taking place, government functions are often stalled, hindering national development. The concept of ‘one nation, one election’ aims to complete all elections within a six-month period,” Jaiswal said.
BJP National Spokesperson CR Kesavan also hailed the move, stating that it will lead to “political stability”. “This decision by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will further consolidate and strengthen our nation building and federalism. But it will also very importantly, reclaim the original spirit and sanctity of our Constitution as given to us by Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar and other architects. If you see, from 1952 to 67, there were simultaneous polls in the country. But Indira Gandhi’s Congress toppled democratically elected state governments nearly 39 times. This broke the synchronous cycle of simultaneous elections,” Kesavan said.
The Cabinet approved the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal, which proposes simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections, with urban body and panchayat polls to be held within 100 days. The High-level Committee on Simultaneous Elections, constituted under the chairmanship of former President Ram Nath Kovind, submitted its report to President Droupadi Murmu earlier this year. The government said that the report, comprising 18,626 pages, is an outcome of extensive consultations with stakeholders, experts, and research work of 191 days, since its constitution on September 2, 2023.
Doubts Revealed
Karnataka -: Karnataka is a state in the southern part of India. It has its own government and Chief Minister.
Deputy CM -: Deputy CM stands for Deputy Chief Minister. This person helps the Chief Minister in running the state government.
DK Shivakumar -: DK Shivakumar is a politician in Karnataka and the current Deputy Chief Minister of the state.
BJP -: BJP stands for Bharatiya Janata Party. It is one of the major political parties in India.
One Nation, One Election -: ‘One Nation, One Election’ is a proposal to hold all elections in India at the same time, instead of having them at different times.
MP -: MP stands for Member of Parliament. This person is elected to represent the people in the Parliament of India.
Sanjay Jaiswal -: Sanjay Jaiswal is a Member of Parliament from the BJP party.
National Spokesperson -: A National Spokesperson is a person who speaks on behalf of a political party at the national level.
CR Kesavan -: CR Kesavan is a National Spokesperson for the BJP party.
Cabinet -: The Cabinet is a group of top leaders in the government who make important decisions. It includes the Prime Minister and other ministers.
Lok Sabha -: Lok Sabha is the lower house of India’s Parliament, where members are elected to make laws and decisions for the country.
Assembly elections -: Assembly elections are held to choose members for the state government, similar to how Lok Sabha elections choose members for the national government.
Urban body -: Urban body refers to local government organizations in cities and towns, like municipal corporations.
Panchayat polls -: Panchayat polls are elections held to choose members for the local government in villages.
Ram Nath Kovind -: Ram Nath Kovind is a former President of India. He led the committee that studied the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal.
