Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram yesterday took a jibe at the idea of simultaneous Lok Sabha and state elections by calling it an “election jumla” (gimmick) just a day after President Ram Nath Kovind asked political parties to discuss it during his Budget session address to the Parliament.

Chidambaram was speaking at an event celebrating the launch of his book, ‘Speaking Truth to Power’. During a panel discussion following the release of his book by former President Pranab Mukherjee, Chidambaram said such simultaneous elections are not possible under the current constitutional framework.

“In a parliamentary democracy, especially where we have 30 states, you cannot have simultaneous elections under the present Constitution. One nation, one tax was a jumla. Now one nation, one election is a jumla,” said the former Finance Minister in reply to a question.

He also raised questions on the lack of finer details in the proposition to hold simultaneous state and parliament elections. “What if a government falls tomorrow? Will you put it under President’s rule for four years? It can’t be done,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been advocating for simultaneous elections for a long time now. The idea received an impetus after President Kovind also batted in favour of it, citing huge burdens on resources and impediment of development process that multiple elections cause currently.

By dhruv