Congress says govt proposal for simultaneous polls a ‘constitutional perversity’

The Congress on Tuesday rejected the central government’s proposal for simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, saying it was a “constitutional perversity” and “preposterous”.

At a press conference at the party headquarters in New Delhi, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the proposal, if accepted, would hit at the very core of democracy in India.

“Prime Minister Modi gives us this argument that hundreds of crores would be saved if elections are held together. A Parliament Standing Committee estimates the entire cost of Lok Sabha and all assembly elections at Rs 4,500 crore. We would like to advise him to first stop spending Rs 4,600 crore of public money on self promotion and propaganda,” said Singhvi.

The Law Commission held consultations with political parties on the proposal for simultaneous elections.

Seeking to give shape to the central government’s concept of “one nation, one election”, the Law Commission’s internal working paper has recommended holding the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls simultaneously but in two phases beginning 2019.

Political parties were divided on the issue.