Samajwadi Party’s Ravidas Mehrotra Calls for All-Party Meeting on ‘One Nation, One Election’
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 18: Samajwadi Party leader Ravidas Mehrotra has called for an all-party meeting to discuss the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal. Mehrotra emphasized the need for simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the country.
Mehrotra stated, “If BJP wants to implement ‘One Nation, One Election’, then it should call an all-party meeting with national presidents of all opposition parties and leaders of different political parties in Lok Sabha. The Samajwadi Party is the third largest party in India and the largest party in Uttar Pradesh. We do want simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the country. If BJP really wants to implement this, then they should call an all-party meeting.”
Earlier, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Chief Mayawati supported the ‘One Nation, One Election’ system after the Union Cabinet accepted the recommendations from a high-level committee chaired by former President of India Ram Nath Kovind. Mayawati expressed her support on social media, stating that the objective must be in the national and public interest.
The High-Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections, led by former President Ram Nath Kovind, recently presented its comprehensive report to President Droupadi Murmu. The report highlights the benefits of conducting simultaneous elections at the central, state, and local levels, including political stability, economic growth, and increased voter participation.
The report, which took 191 days of consultations and research, outlines that frequent elections create uncertainty and affect policy decisions. Simultaneous elections would promote policy stability, ease governance, and reduce the financial burden on the government by avoiding repetitive election costs.
The committee also recommended provisions for situations like a hung House or a no-confidence motion, suggesting fresh elections with the new House serving only the remaining term of the previous one. Municipal and Panchayat elections should be synchronized with national and state polls, conducted within 100 days of each other, requiring ratification by at least half of the states.
The report concluded that simultaneous elections would enhance voter confidence, ease the election process, and strengthen India’s democratic structure by ensuring inclusivity, transparency, and social cohesion, ultimately driving development and meeting the country’s aspirations.
Doubts Revealed
Samajwadi Party -: The Samajwadi Party is a political party in India, mainly based in the state of Uttar Pradesh. It focuses on social justice and equality.
Ravidas Mehrotra -: Ravidas Mehrotra is a leader from the Samajwadi Party. He is involved in politics and represents his party’s views.
All-Party Meeting -: An all-party meeting is a gathering where leaders from different political parties come together to discuss important issues.
One Nation, One Election -: ‘One Nation, One Election’ is a proposal to hold all elections in India, like for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, at the same time.
BSP -: BSP stands for Bahujan Samaj Party, another political party in India. It mainly represents the Dalits and other marginalized communities.
Mayawati -: Mayawati is the leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). She has been the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh several times.
Lok Sabha -: The Lok Sabha is the lower house of India’s Parliament. It is where members of parliament (MPs) are elected to make laws.
Assembly elections -: Assembly elections are held to choose representatives for the state legislative assemblies. These assemblies make laws for their respective states.
Ram Nath Kovind -: Ram Nath Kovind is a former President of India. He led the committee that recommended the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal.
Policy stability -: Policy stability means having consistent and steady rules and laws, which helps in better governance and planning.
Voter participation -: Voter participation refers to the number of people who vote in elections. Higher participation means more people are involved in choosing their leaders.
Financial burden -: Financial burden means the cost or expense. In this context, it refers to the money the government spends on conducting elections.
