Any attempt to postpone assembly polls to four states will be challenged in court: Congress

NEW DELHI: Charging the NDA Government of failing to take into confidence on the proposal to hold simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the State assemblies, the Congress on Tuesday said that any attempt to postpone the assembly elections to Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Mizoram beyond their term would be challenged by it in the court of law.

Addressing a joint press conference here along with head of the AICC legal cell Vivek Tankha and Rajasthan PCC chief Sachin Pilot, AICC general secretary Ashok Gehlot said,''the BJP and its party chief Amit Shah has written to the Law commission proposing simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies. However, it is not possible without Constitutional amendments, also, they have not held consultations with other political parties on this."

The term of the four state assemblies is coming to an end in November-December. Postponing elections to these four state to coincide with the Lok Sabha elections is not possible.

In a letter to Law panel chairman Justice B S Chauhan, BJP president Amit Shah strongly toed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's line that a continuous election process would save on the government funds and ensure that the country is not on a permanent election mode and thereby political forces to adopt chiefly the path of populism.

"We must have faith and trust the voters," he said, adding there is no relation between Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

"Voters vote on different issues in both polls," he said.

Elections to four states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh - all BJP ruled - and Mizoram under Congress are to be held by November this year.

General elections are due by April-May 2019.

Sources say that a section of the BJP is toying with the idea of [postponing elections to the four states to coincide with the Lok Sabha elections.

Reacting to the reports, Mr Gehlot suggested that the Prime Minister should prepone polls to the four state by recommending the dissolution of the Lok Sabha.

''The Prime Minister should recommend dissolution of the Lok Sabha and prepone the polls to the four state.

We are fully prepared for the elections,''Mr Gehlot said. On Mr Amit Shah's letter to the law commission, he said,''Mr Amit Shah has only expressed his point of view on the issue.However, there will never be one date for the holding of elections by the various state governments.''